On a recent walk, the overcast sky reflected my mood.  A jumble of worries, uncertainty and items to cross off my to-do list filled my mind. Overwhelm filled my heart as the to-dos far outnumbered the hours in the day…again.

Thankfully, I caught myself. I can choose to avoid the slippery slope of “stinking thinking.” Just breathe and stay present in this moment instead of worrying about the future or second guessing the choices of the past. 

As I focused on my surroundings, I heard birds singing and realized they were singing despite the dark and threatening clouds overhead. How do they do that? I mused. A favorite hymn, His Eye Is on the Sparrow, came to mind. 

    “Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,

    When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,

    I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;

    His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;

    His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me. “

As I hummed the melody, a couple of favorite Bible verses also popped into my thoughts.  “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-32

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than them?” Matthew 6:26

All of this reminded me that God has brought me through the valleys of my life, even the darkest and deepest ones when I wondered if God had forgotten me.  As I thought about God’s faithfulness and the many ways in which God has provided for me, I realized these are just the blessings I remember. How many times has God blessed me, protected me or provided for me that I have forgotten or didn’t even notice in the first place? 

I wish I could say that’s all that came to mind. But I couldn’t help also thinking about a few heartbreaking losses when I wished and still do that things had turned out differently. This time it was John 16:33 that came to me. “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But, take heart! I have overcome the world. I needed that reminder to see the heartbreaks, the worries, the uncertainty and my mile long to-do list through a lens of faith instead of fear. 

At that moment, I again noticed birds singing. As I looked up, I saw that the dark gray clouds had given way to the sun. 

Shared by Patricia Wu