Recently my mom told me a story of when she was on a bike ride and a bird kept flying in front of her and landing. Right as she thought she was about to run it over, it would fly a little further in front and do the same thing. It made her think of that definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results. Of course, she had enough wisdom at the time to immediately check herself to see if she was falling into that same trap.

Sometimes God does that. He gives us examples of our very own pitfalls, but we will miss it if …

a)we aren’t paying attention, or

b) we aren’t willing to humble ourselves and check our motives to look at the reality of some of the choices in our lives.

I can think of two instances in the Bible where God uses nature to paint a picture of how we are to live our lives.

The Ant: Proverbs 6:6-8

6 Go to the ant, O sluggard;  consider her ways, and be wise.

7 Without having any chief,  officer, or ruler,

8 she prepares her bread in summer  and gathers her food in harvest.

The Birds & the Lilies: Matt. 6:26-30

26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

While walking this evening, I almost forgot to pay attention. As I turned around to go back from where I had come, I noticed a doe and her two deer babies. I was able to stand and marvel at the wonders of his handiwork, and as I walked further, found two more deer grazing by the lake.

Are you paying attention?

What does God have to show you that you are too busy staring at your phone to recognize?

Will you take the time to be present and pay attention today?