On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me three French hens. Have you ever noticed how many gifts in the song include feathered friends? Fortunately, there’s a great parable about feathered friends that Jesus gave in Matthew 6.

Jesus tells his followers not to be worried (or anxious) about things. He reminds them not to be concerned/worried about having enough food, water, or clothing. Instead, Jesus reminds his followers to lift their eyes to the skies.

Birds do not plant seeds, harvest, and put their stash away. (However, I do like to imagine birds doing this. What a cute cartoon that would make!) Instead, birds seek food and find it because God provides for their needs. In Matthew 6:26, Jesus asked his followers who was of more value to God: birds or people? The question is redundant. Of course humans are more valuable than birds, although birds are great, too.

When we worry, nothing good is accomplished. When we worry, we simply waste time. Instead, Jesus told his followers to trust God to meet your needs. He does it for the birds, so he will certainly do it for people!

Think about how young children live. They don’t worry about the milk they need or the clean diapers they require. They simply cry or squirm when they need something, and a loving family member comes running to meet that need. Much of the time, parents prepare in advance so that the child does not even need to alert a parent of the need. The bottle is ready before mealtime. The diaper is changed before it’s too soggy. The baby is put to sleep before the witching hour.

In the same way, our loving Heavenly Father meets our needs. He knows what we need before we ask and provides us with opportunities to have those needs met (through jobs, grocery stores, and sometimes through generous people).

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.