Pam Padgett ... teacher
1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for
you.
Recently some birds started building nests out of mud high on the
side of
my house, above the deck where I enjoy sitting during the summer.
Although some mud dropped onto the deck below the nests, I didn't
think this was going to be a problem at first. Then one morning a
large number of
birds were swarming around, and mud was falling, including right at
the doorway to the house. This was now very disturbing to me, and I was
in kind of a panic but didn't know what to do. I knew the birds were
just trying to prepare nests to lay eggs and raise their young, and
didn't want to harm them. But would this continue getting worse? I turned to God saying that I didn't know what to do, but that HE knew the best way to handle
this. A thought kept coming to
check on the internet about these birds. I learned that these birds
are cliff swallows, and they build their nests in colonies, even
hundreds
of nests in the same location! An ad on the side of the web
page was for exterminators who deal with birds. I contacted an
exterminator in my area. There were no eggs in the nests yet, and he removed the nests without hurting the
birds.
It was such a relief to have the nests removed, but that night the
swallows came back, swooping around the house, seeming to be looking
for their nests. I felt so sorry for the birds, who had worked so
diligently to build the nests so they could lay eggs. This caused
me to worry about the birds, until I had the thought to pray that the
birds would
quickly find a place to build their nests where they wouldn't be
bothered. And I was
reminded that God cares for the birds, knowing even when a sparrow
falls ... Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one
of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
(Matthew 10:29) After praying, casting this care on God and being reminded of Matthew 10:29, I was no longer worried
about the swallows.
Another care ... I've been taking one of my dogs to a training class as the first step in becoming certified as
a therapy dog. I found myself becoming anxious when the dog didn't
pickup on some of the things. Then I remembered to pray, and asked
God to help me and the dog, committing all of this to God to work
out as He wills. After praying, I was able to relax and not worry. And when practicing with the dog, I've even been reminded to pray for wisdom in how to work with the dog.
All of these things are very small matters, but were like weights to
me, and kept me from being in peace. It is amazing and wonderful that God cares about us and helps us,
even with such small things.