Kim Sechler serves as a pastor at Green Bay Community Church and a chaplain for the Brown County Sheriff's Department. He can be reached at

Been thinking about birds and worry.

I like birds. They come in all sizes, shapes and colors. Some are fast and burn up a lot of calories, some glide with the wind, some like heights and others like to stay close to the earth. During the winter months most seem to migrate only to return when winter ends. Birds have a built in GPS that navigates their leaving and returning. Amazing.

All those birds have something in common (just like us). They need to eat to stay alive. No food, no life.

I want to draw your attention to Matthew 6:19-34. What can birds teach us about life and worry? In this section it mentions “worry” six times. Maybe because we are prone to worry. One of those times it points us to birds and what we can learn from birds.

“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” Birds don’t pay attention to growing seasons. As a rule, God takes care of their needs without them sowing seeds, reaping and storing up for a rainy day.

I have never seen a bird have a nervous breakdown or lose all their feathers because of an anxiety attack. I have not seen a bird develop a nervous twitch (although some look like they have a nervous twitch), worrying where their next meal (bug) is coming from. If God takes care of the lesser creature (bird) who is not made in His image, won’t He take care of those (us) made in His image and look to Him.

We worry about everything from having enough money to pay our bills, difficult conversations, kids, job, and dying to a slithering invisible threat called COVID19. We need to take precautions but not let them rule us.

Whatever rules your life will determine the direction of your life and what you give your life to.

If you were to write a worry list what would be on it? What eats at you? Talk about that to a trusted friend. Stop watching the news channel. Do I still worry? At times I do. It helps to go for a walk or look out the window and watch the birds and know I have a Father who cares for me.

What does worry accomplish? Absolutely nothing. Except, maybe a nervous twitch. Worry robs energy from our tomorrow.