The older I get, the more aware I become that I’m a worrier. The last few days in Oklahoma City it has rained. By rained, I mean it has poured cats and dogs. As I write this blog it literally just stopped raining. This morning as I watch the storm tracker on my phone and the water begin to collect in my backyard, I could feel the worry setting in. Water had reached the threshold of the door leading to my garage in the back and there was water about 2 inches away from being at my doorstep.

As the morning downpour turned into a sporadic light rain, I noticed that my back patio was covered in worms. It had rained so hard that even the worms were seeking higher ground! This is when I convinced myself that when experiencing a worm apocalypse, it is okay to worry, and then the coolest thing began to happen. Birds came flocking to my yard in numbers I have never seen. It was as if I was in a real-life Dr. Suess book. One bird, two birds, three birds, four birds. Red bird, black bird, blue bird, brown bird.

Birds from all over had flown into my swampy backyard and were having a feast on all of the worms breaking the surface. I watched as these birds didn’t even have to spend much effort in finding food. They would simply swoop in, use their crazy bird senses, and BOOM-brunch was served. As I watched these birds, I was reminded of a passage in Matthew 6, where Jesus says, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. And are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life.” Scripture was coming alive in my backyard before my eyes, and before I knew it my worrying self calmed down.

How often to do we allow ourselves to become worried or overwhelmed by life’s circumstances. Whatever you are facing that has you worried, be encouraged and know the Lord sees you, is with you, and is actively taking care of you. When the waters rise and the worms start surfacing, “Cast your cares on him, for because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).