Our Daily Bread: Beyond Camp Family EditionSample

Birds of the Air

What’s the most interesting bird you’ve seen at camp?

I recently had an encounter with a couple of tiny ones. Seeing me in my front yard, my smiling neighbor whispered for me to come look.

“What?” I whispered back, intrigued.

She pointed to a wind chime on her front porch, where a tiny teacup of straw rested atop a metal rung.

“A hummingbird’s nest,” she whispered. “See the babies?”

The two beaks, tiny as pinpricks, were barely visible as they pointed upwards.

“They’re waiting for the mother.”

We stood there, marveling. I raised my cell phone to snap a picture.

“Not too close,” my neighbor said. “Don’t want to scare away the mother.”

And with that, we adopted—from afar—a family of hummingbirds.

But not for long. In another week, the mother bird and babies were gone—as quietly as they had arrived. But who would care for them?

The Bible gives a glorious but familiar answer. It’s so familiar that we may forget all that it promises.

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life,” says Jesus in Matthew, chapter 6—a simple but beautiful instruction.

“Look at the birds,” He adds. “They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them.”

Just as He cares for tiny birds, He cares for us—nurturing us mind, body, spirit, and soul. It’s a magnificent promise. Things change and don’t last. Even a week at camp is over too soon. But we can look to God daily for all we need—without worry—and soar!

Katara Patton

What’s the difference between worry and planning—or worry and concern? As we look at our lives, how is God daily providing for us?

Loving God, it’s humbling to know that You care for our needs. Please help us honor Your promise to provide by trusting You more daily.