6/5/2025 | By Jay Ashbaucher
Some people love bird-watching. I am one of them. Recently, I awoke to a weak chirping sound outside my window. I looked out and watched a bird feeding its chirping child. The mother bird would take food from a suet feeder and stick it into the young bird’s open beak. After doing this for what seemed a long time, the young bird flew off into the grass about 60 feet away. The mother continued flying back and forth, taking food until the chirping stopped and the youngster acted satisfied. I thought of Jesus’ words, “”Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:26-27).
The world is God’s creation. God created nature and humans to care for one another. I don’t know about you, but when I look at the world around me, I see less and less care for one another. Unfortunately, corruption in God’s natural world, and in human hearts, has become increasingly the state of things. Dangers are ever present. Life can be very fragile and subject to harm. This is true for birds and people. A stray cat sometimes comes and pounces on the unsuspecting birds. Birds are not always able to avoid the dangers of nature. People, on the other hand, are not created to live just by instinct or feelings. Although God made us to care for one another, the choice to do so is greatly lacking amongst humans. Too often, we choose to be the cause of harm inflicted on others. The world displays so much lying, greediness, division, and hatred. When self-centeredness replaces other-centeredness, our world becomes a chaotic and unsafe place to live. I don’t know about you, but the state of our present world has caused a growing skepticism at the core of my being. Skepticism is the gnawing feeling that we can’t know anything for certain. Who can we trust to take care of us? Our healthcare system? Our government? Our education system? Our families? Our church leaders? If someone says, “I know the truth” or “I know what is good for you”, that claim is met with “that’s your opinion”, or “that’s your perspective.” The society at large seems skeptical about everything; and with good reason. Skepticism is when no one has the right answers to what is good or true. Skepticism is when no one gives us a feeling of security that says, “I know I will be safe listening to you and putting myself in your hands.” What happens in a culture where people feel uncertain, unloved, and uncared-for? They feel skeptical, anxious, depressed, hopeless, doubtful, despairing. Where can I find what it true and what is good for me? Such conditions are the makings of setting a country or its individuals on a path of decay and collapse. How can we exist in a culture where trust is hard to find? The Bible says that in the last days, difficult times would come. Is there anything absolutely true and good that we can rely on to meet the needs that arise in our daily lives? What keeps our lives from falling apart in a world where one is suspicious of lies and greediness everywhere? Whom do we trust?
This brings me back to the statement of Jesus. You are worth more to me than birds. You are worried about many things, but I care about you. Peter, one of Jesus’ apostles, gave us this word of encouragement, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7). God and His word provide a source of truth and goodness that we can go to for help in overcoming our feelings of skepticism and self-defeat. The Bible says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones” (Proverbs 3:5-8).
I recently acquired a sickness where my lungs were filled with mucus. I had been fighting it with recommended medications for the relief of such a condition. It had been three weeks, and the situation seemed to be worsening. I had once been diagnosed with COPD and was worried about my breathing. Two years ago I was on a breathing machine four times a day, but the meds for that have long been expired. Knowing how long it takes to get a doctor’s appointment, and not wanting to go to the ER, I wondered about trying an urgent care walk-in facility. Skepticism set in and I had all kinds of reasons for not believing they could help me. Skepticism is good if it leads to checking out the best alternatives, but if skepticism settles into one’s thinking, it is self-defeating. I decided to practice Proverbs 3:5-6. I had a heart-to-heart talk with God. I said, “Lord, I know that you care for me. I trust in you. I am not going to lean on my own understanding, believing these skeptical feelings that are trying to control me. I have decided to try urgent care, and as the Proverb says, I am acknowledging you, that you will direct whatever happens to me. I trust you. You are my ultimate healer and I know that you know what I need. No matter what, I just want to trust that you can work to help me through the people I meet.”
I went to the care facility, was cordially welcomed, and was able to tell them my situation. They listened and answered my questions. What they did addressed my needs and hopes, even beyond what I thought would happen. They gave me the encouragement and help I needed. I thanked them and let them know that I also thanked God for them. I could see that God was working through them. I praised God all the way home. I am not over my sickness yet, but I accept that God knows me and will do good for me, no matter what. The main thing is that skepticism did not control me. Trust versus skepticism. I don’t have to know everything when I have a God who does. I have a relationship with One I can absolutely trust in the midst of a world filled with skepticism and anxieties. The God and Father of Jesus cares for all of us and can be our source of ultimate security and peace.
