Why You Might Be in a Mess

“A bird planted that.”

“Without even trying?” I looked at my arborist (person who is really smart with plants) friend, then back to the mini-tree in my front yard incredulously.

You see, I am bad with plants. So, when I moved into a house with way too many bushes, I asked my friend to join me for a tour and tutorial of my property. That day I learned how to trim trees, fertilize bushes—and to pull up the plants that the birds planted.

How do birds plant bushes? Well, according to this article, they “plant” seeds by dispersing them throughout their daily routines—in other words, they disperse seeds by making messes as they go. (That is, of course, a loose interpretation).

Here’s the thing—this morning this verse came to my attention:

“Look at the birds in the sky. They do not store food for winter. They don’t plant gardens. They do not sow or reap — and yet, they are always fed because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are EVEN MORE precious to Him than a beautiful bird. If He looks after them, of course He will look after you” (The Voice).

Birds go through life and get what they need, making messes along the way that eventually work to their benefit (more food source). If they worried about their messes, or making sure they planted things right (work with me here), part of God’s provision would be gone.

I wonder what “messes” I’m cleaning up that God wants to use? Where am I trying too hard when God has already provided?

Kim Martinez is a regular contributor to Ministry Today magazine’s blog. She is a writer, speaker and ministry coach. You can hear more from her at deepimprints.com.