“The singing of birds became an orchestra — a symphony of gossip and mirth,” C. Tagore. That quote describes my yard today. The birds are happy in the sunshine of a glorious blue sky day, singing and talking, calling their mates. There is so much beauty in a bird’s song. They are eternally cheerful, welcoming the day’s sunrise, cooing as they settle for the night. Peter Hamill writes, “I don’t ask for the meaning of the song of a bird or the rising of the sun on a misty morning. There they are, and they are beautiful.” 

On the fifth day of creation God breathed life into the birds. We read in Genesis, “And God said, ‘Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.’” The Bible writes of birds as symbols of God’s care and provision. In Matthew we read, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” Jesus used the description of the birds to encourage us to trust God to provide for our needs just as he provides for the birds. He will shelter us with his wings of grace and faithfulness. Psalm 91:4 states, “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” Birds are woven through scripture and Bible stories. Most children know the dove returned to Noah with an olive branch in its beak to prove the flood had ended.

Birds make me pause and think of the beauty of all God’s creation. Birds remind me faith gives us strength and courage to soar on our journey of life, trusting in God to guide us in the right direction. Birds show us how to be joyous. They sing because they want to and trust in God enough to not worry about the branch breaking when they perch on a twig. I’ve sat perched in the swing this morning trying to think of life lessons we could learn from the little songbirds.

Maybe the number one lesson birds teach us is to trust in God enough to spread our wings and fly with our faith. J.M. Barrie writes, “The reason birds can fly and we can’t is simply because they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings.” Birds don’t look at life as a challenge to overcome, they relish in their freedom and soar through the heavens with a song in their heart. Birds live in the present moment and when change comes along they learn to adapt and endure the challenges. Birds show us the value of community and family bonds as they flock together and return home to the nest. I think they, too, are grateful for breath each day as they sing in the darkness of dawn to welcome the sunrise.

My most favorite words about the beautiful little songbirds. “I pray to the birds because I believe they will carry the messages of my heart upward. I pray to them because I believe in their existence, the way their songs begin and end each day — the invocations and benedictions of Earth. I pray to the birds because they remind me of what I love rather than what I fear. And at the end of my prayers, they teach me how to listen,” Terry Tempest Williams.

“Just as the birds find shelter in the branches, may we find refuge in the Lord’s loving embrace.” — Unknown