A Little Birdie

Have you ever felt a quiet peace? The kind of peace that comes when the temperature is just right to sit outside in the morning, drinking a fresh cup of coffee, and there’s no demands creeping in on you… yet. Family vacations aren’t always like that for me. I’m the type that wants to make sure everything goes well for everyone, so I tend to over plan. 

Yes, over planning is a thing but it’s kind of like being at the beach without sunscreen. At first, it’s no big deal and everyone is having fun, but before too long, it will turn painful. That’s what too much over planning can turn into. Not always, but if I don’t self-regulate, my over planning will turn into painful blisters before our trip is over and I will crash as soon as we pull back into our driveway at home. 

We recently went out of town with some family, and I was trying to think of everything. The niece and nephew would like this, the in-laws would go for something else, my crew would want their usual, and I was definitely packing my coffee – don’t forget the hot cocoa for the hubby. Since we were swimming, we would need plastic bags for our suits, separate bags for our clothes, and easy to grab snacks so that we could play without a hitch. What about meals?

Y’all, I even packed disposable hot cups for everyone. We had a crockpot meal in our room on our first night that I had prepared the day before (pulled pork is amazing when it’s slow-cooked!) – and I had salt and pepper packets on hand if anyone wanted them. 

It was high-paced fun, everyone was having a blast, but I was starting to notice that I had forgotten my sunscreen. On our last morning, in an effort to calm my mess, I decided to sit outside on the balcony with my coffee before we started to pack up. And I’m so glad that I did.

I was enjoying my hot brew, there was a slight autumn chill – but the sun was shining through the trees that were starting to change their attire. It was a beautiful morning. To my surprise, a little bird landed on our balcony and stood there looking around – looking at me – and picked something up in its mouth, hopped around a little and then flew away.

I’ve seen plenty of birds in my time on earth and there was nothing special about this one that I could see. It was tiny and brown – that’s it. But it made a huge impact on my coffee-drinking-enjoying-the-autumn-season moment. It was like a jolt of clarity that brought with it a bit of reflection into that quiet peace we all seem to want a bit of.

“Consider the birds – do you think they worry about their existence? They don’t plant or reap or store up food, yet your heavenly Father provides them each with food. Aren’t you much more valuable to your Father than they?” Matthew 6:26 TPT

Over and over again, I have seen God move in my life. I have marveled at our finances, at our health, and at our safety. I can look back and see a beautiful, woven tapestry of God working everything out for our good – and I can only see bits and pieces this side of heaven.

We were out of work for a full week, but the week before we made double – that was entirely a God thing. My daughter putting her hoodie over her head only moments before a roll-over accident kept the shattered glass out of her hair – another God thing. Repair costs starting to add up on our vehicle and then God orchestrates a pay out from another vehicle being sold (a shared investment) – He is our Provider!

Every time I look back at my life, from the good little preacher’s daughter to the rebel without a care teen, to the alcoholic wife and mother to the sober woman I am today – God has had His hand on every part of my life. I could have ended up a drug addict – but I was never given the opportunity for the hard stuff. I could have gotten locked up and lost my family – but God timed my freedom perfectly and protected me and others till I got there. I didn’t even have to go through withdrawals or a 12-step program – my chains are GONE!

I wrote last week about the power of sharing our testimony in Bitter to Beauty. I don’t just want to ask you guys to share your testimonies without sharing some of mine. In sharing, we can give each other the strength of faith that’s needed to face tomorrow. Guys, the car I mentioned in my last post had the radiator go out on a country road in the middle of nowhere – but we came to a stop at the end of a mechanic’s driveway! How is that not a God thing?

There have been horrible things happen to good people – we live in a world that is full of people that have the freedom to choose evil. But if good has not come from the horrible thing, rest assured that God isn’t done with it yet. Again, if it’s not good, then God’s not done.

This favorite passage of mine – I even have a tattoo based off these 10 verses (Matthew 6:25-34) – ends with a couple directions that I find even more reassuring.

“So above all, constantly seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness, then all these less important things will be given to you abundantly. Refuse to worry about tomorrow, but deal with each challenge that comes your way, one day at a time. Tomorrow will take care of itself.” Matthew 6:33-34 TPT

We’re to seek His kingdom, not ours. We’re to seek His righteousness, because we can never earn it ourselves. Other than all the instances that I have personally seen God move on my behalf – made sure the timing was just right, that hearts were softened just so, or that we were positioned perfectly – He encourages us to seek Him. He doesn’t encourage us to seek all the possible solutions because He is telling us that He is our solution.

“And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace that is in me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have conquered the world!” John 16:33 TPT

When we go on these family trips, I always overpack. I fret over having enough oatmeal for breakfast – what if they all decide to have oatmeal and then I won’t have enough for the whole trip? What if someone gets a fever or a sore throat? What if we don’t have a microwave? Okay, so I didn’t actually pack a microwave, but I did do a crockpot meal ahead of time and also brought my electric kettle. Maybe I need help. I know I can always benefit from spending more time seeking my Father.

Take a few minutes and think back over the last few months or years and pay attention to how God times things so perfectly. Look at how He brings out good when bad things seem to be overtaking us. Car accidents are never fun – but He is always in the details of His kiddo’s lives. Sometimes He reminds us that He is our solution to all of our problems simply by sending a little birdie.