“Then God said: Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures, and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky. God created the great sea monsters and all kinds of crawling living creatures with which the water teems, and all kinds of winged birds. God saw that it was good, and God blessed them, saying: Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas; and let the birds multiply on the earth.Evening came, and morning followed—the fifth day.” Genesis 1:20-23.
Today we reflect on the 5th day of the creation narrative, and mirroring the 2nd day of the creation of the sea and the sky, the rulers of this domain are the birds and the fish. In the creation of the seas and the sky, the spaces are vast. These animals go quite the distance to travel.
If we look at the flight migration during the winters, birds travel quite the distance to get to the warmer spots. Arctic Terns fly around 44,100 miles every year from the Netherlands to Antarctica. Turtles, whales, and fish also travel throughout the vast waters. Leatherback Sea Turtles travel 10,000 miles annually in search for jellyfish. Funny enough though, these migrant creatures get where they need to go every year.
We are on a great migration ourselves. We walk the road that Christ has set before us, and our final destination, is so far above any place on Earth. We are called to be Jesus’ disciples, to follow his footsteps, to enter through the narrow gate. Our homes are not of this earth, but rather we find our eternal home with God in Heaven. Even when it seems difficult, we have the grace and all that is necessary to follow him.
We are worth more than many sparrows. Jesus reminds us of our importance in creation.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat [or drink], or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they?”
Matthew 6: 25-26
How can we trust in the Lord’s grace to become saints? How can we trust that the Lord has it all even among the day to day chaos?
“But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.”