Look

“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns” Matthew 6:26

Look – How well do you see things?  Sometimes what is most important is so obvious we do not see it at all.  In this verse, Jesus tells his followers to “really see” the life of birds.  The Greek word is emblepso.  It literally means, “to look into” or “to stare”.  Here it has the metaphorical sense of contemplation.  Think about what is right in front of you, says Jesus.  Think about the common, ordinary, simple things and really see what they mean to you.

Jesus implies a profound bit of theology here.  But to see it, we have to look into the meaning of life.  It’s all about birds.  Jesus begins with the fundamental fact that God is in control of all life.  Everything that we see (and usually take for granted) is under His authority.  But that isn’t all.  The next step in “deep looking” is to realize that God loves everything He created.  Birds and bees, flowers and trees, even you and me.  So, says Jesus, if God is in charge of everything and if He loves everything He is in charge of, why do you worry about your life.  God loves birds and He takes care of them.  Won’t He take care of you too?

Birds are notoriously active.  They flap here and there.  They build nests, peck at worms and chirp.  But there is one activity they never do.  They never worry.  They are quite content to live in the moment.  They are focused on today.  I have never seen a bird that is anxious about what will happen tomorrow (in spite of Disney).  They are designed to rely completely on God.  In fact, as far as I can tell, every living thing is designed the same way.  Even men and women.  Our problem is that we have overlooked the design.  It’s right there, built into us and everything else, but we have myopia of the soul.  We have forgotten how to look into life.

Take a minute today to look at life around you.  You might have to exit the plastic reality of the office or the containerized confines of your building, but do it anyway.  Go outside and look into life.  Do you see the design now?  Dependence is freedom.  It is built into creation.