It was difficult to appreciate the clarity of the air and the fresh morning breeze against my cheeks as I walked because of the burden I carried on my shoulders. The troubles of friends and acquaintances pressed against me. I bent my head to pray for them, waiting for God to bring peace.

Life has taught me that God lifts burdens in creative ways. He is after all, the Master of creativity.

Before the words of prayer escaped my lips, I saw a tiny nest directly in my path. With surprise and delight, I picked it up and marveled at the intricacy with which it was woven. The most striking detail was that the mother bird, possibly a hummingbird, had taken a perfect twig and secured it with strands of spiderweb to the side of the nest. She had strategically placed the leaf to shade her babies.

My path was wide and not under tree branches; so I knew instantly that my heavenly father had placed it there as a gift and a lesson. This verse sprang into my thoughts:

“Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or store away into barnes, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

– Matthew 6:25-26 (Jesus Bible)

A broken world guarantees trouble and heartache, but God is in it all, steadfast, loving, caring, providing. His desire is for us to trust Him, simply and completely.

His ways are not normal…but creative. what I must do is look at things not with fear and anxiety, but with eyes open, trusting and waiting for the wonder of His presence in every circumstance.