Behold the Birds
On a schools-out, Summer-time morning, I drove past a badling of ducks moving from their morning paddling to their mid-morning activity of foraging and preening. They seem to live in perpetual holiday-living mode.
Of course, I wasn’t thinking about the coyotes I hear howling at night in the morning sunlight. Or the foxes that sneak into the backyard chicken coops of 21st Century enthusiasts of animal husbandry , or the bears that tumble through backyards sometimes. that might think a little duck might taste good. I was just thinking how content, how unworried they seemed with everything moving about them. Unhurried. Unworried.
I’d been thinking about the forecasts – the health forecasts, the economic forecasts, the food forecasts – the lifestyle forecasts, the future forecasts. Forecasts from pundits. Forecasts from the politicians. Forecasts from pulpits. Forecasts from prophecies and revelations.
Worry about all the tomorrows hurried, crouched, hovered, threatened. I’d been praying in my drive time. Sometimes it’s the quietest place – and I saw all those ducks roadside, the safety of the pond far behind, working their way in to their morning routine – and God whispered in my spirit the words, “Behold the birds of the air.”
Matthew 6:26 literally waddled roadside! God knows how a visual helps me with something He wants me to know:
“Behold the fowls of the air:
for they sow not,
neither do they reap,
nor gather into barns;
yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.
Are ye not much better than they?”
“Behold” not “look.” “Behold” requires so much more consideration than “Look.”
Look implies just surface sight: “To direct the eye towards an object, with the intention of seeing it.” (Websters 1828 Dictionary)
Behold: “To fix the eyes upon; to see with attention; to observe with care.” (Websters 1828 Dictionary)
Behold as in “Behold the lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. ” ~ John 1:29
Behold as in not just looking but seeing to taking hold of the truth, the meaning – there is something to be found if you can grasp it that can change your life.
A badling of ducks isn’t always just a bunch of ducks. A gaggle of geese isn’t always just a gaggle of geese. A colony of seagulls isn’t always just a colony of seagulls. Not when God is delivering messages.

Then I saw the ducks , and remembered the scripture, it made me think of the times God has provided like God did with enough flour and oil for the widow who fed Elijah until the drought ended or Elisha turning one jar of the widow’s oil into many. Someone God took the improbable for my mother, brother and I growing up and turned it into enough.
I remembered how God took care of me growing up after my dad walked out. I remembered how I mother, brother and I moved in with our grandparents, who didn’t have a whole lot either, but in the 60s, you didn’t have to have a whole lot for enough. My mom worked as a sales clerk. She never missed a day. Then she’d come home and sew. Grandmother cooked dinner every night. I don’t know how, but she made one chicken feed all five of us. Aunt Joyce picked us all up on Sunday mornings , along with Grandmother, her bridge friend, Mrs. Taylor, . and drove us to church.
My mom on a minimum wage salary managed to send us to Catholic schools where we read the bible, went to church, and learned about Christian living. When we got old enough, we worked. My brother built a mowing business that paid for his high school education. I worked to help pay for mine. Every penny I made went into the bank. If we went to the movies or to eat with our friends in high school, we paid for it from the money we earned.
My mom didn’t have a driver’s license until she was 29-30 years old. She managed to scrape together enough money to get a green Volkswagon that was totaled in front of church one Sunday morning because a car behind us didn’t stop. My mom had a neck injury – and from the money she made from insurance, she was able to pay for the rest of my high school education.
We grew up with enough – and for us it was a feast. They were sweet times where we caught fireflies in jars with holes hammered in the lid, running and shrieking with delight. We tasted honeysuckle nectar droplets at twilight because that’s the only time we seemed to think of it. We climbed trees, hung upside down, walked up the street to visit my aunt without a worry in the world and would stop in to see my mom at the hardware store. She sewed my prom dress with navy Bill Blass lace someone gave her. We shared a room all my growing up years in the summer’s blistering heat and the winter’s freezing cold.
God provided every day, every year, every step of the way.
In the Original Mary Poppins, Poppins says, “Enough is as good as a feast.”
Those ducks waddling along – God wanted me to behold, to look deeper and remember. He’s got me. He’s not going to let go. He hasn’t yet. He’s not going to. He’s in this relationship for the long haul – for eternity. He is El Shaddai – the God who is more than enough.
Live trust – in Him, He says. Live contentment, in Him, He says. Live Joy, in Him. Challenges may come. Even seemingly impossible things may come. But I am the God of More Than Enough, He says.
Today I am remembering how He has taken care of me before – and trusting Him for my tomorrow. Today, I am still asking, “What are you and I doing today God?”

Remember Me Monday: #43& Linky
“I’ll make a list of God’s gracious dealings,
all the things God has done that need praising,
All the generous bounties of God,
his great goodness to the family of Israel—
Compassion lavished,
love extravagant.”
~ Isaiah 63:7, The Message
In the Old Testament, God repeatedly, quietly and loudly, tells his children, “You have forgotten me!” (Jeremiah 3:32, Ezekiel 22:12, to name a few). It’s a heart cry from a father to a child who has forgotten all the love, all the saving, helping, little and big blessings – and it leaves me stunned when I realize our Father, the creator of the universe, who knows things I cannot begin to fathom, who authors storylines that leave me amazed, delights in all of us so much, He cries out, “Remember Me.”
While every day is a Remember God Day, I am inviting you to join me on Monday mornings to come by and remember what God has done for you, for your family. Maybe God sent a cardinal darting out in front of you, as if to tell you, “I’m here,” or broke a child’s fever after you laid it all down at His feet in a 2 a.m. bedside vigil. Maybe He stood with you in the wait of a prayer sent out, or brought someone you loved to Christ. Maybe He healed your broken heart, gave your courage, or you gave Him your dreams as a love offering only to have Him give them back in an unimaginable way. Maybe God helped you survive to bedtime after a crazy Monday, or forgive yourself for missing it with your kiddos –– Whatever it is, let’s Remember Him. . . in a “Remember Me Monday” love letter.
“My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
Of your salvation all the day long,
Though I know not its measure.
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord”
~ Psalm 71:15-16.
Let us delight in Him by telling the stories of what He’s done! If you wrote a blog post remembering what He’s done for you, join the linky. If you didn’t but still want to praise Him for what He’s done – write it in the comment section. Then visit a comment before or after yours! One of the beautiful things about the blogging community is the relationships it builds!
Rules? Write long or short, a list or a story, include photos or not. Just Remember Him and what He has done, and let the gratitude of your heart guide you. Let’s make Monday so Rejoice, that the goodness of God spills into the rest of the week!
***All photos marked with Muddy Photography or © Blue Cotton Memory or used within Blue Cotton Memory blog(s) belong Blue Cotton Memory. Going forward, photos will be marked with Muddy Photography.
Places I’m Linking at This Week:
Inspire Me Monday, Instaencouragements,
Legacy Link-Up, Recharge Wednesday
Faith on Fire, Tell His Story, Grace&Truth
Let’s Have Coffee Wednesday
A great reminder.
One I need so very often!
What a peaceful scene you painted.
Only with God can we really find the peaceful scene – the peaceful place. The world right now really isn’t, though it contains so many opportunities for peaceful moments. Shalom, Barb! ~ Maryleigh
Oh, this is such precious timing, dear Maryleigh. I love seeing the lessons that God brings through the birds and His creatures. He truly does care for them, and He will care for us right where we are also. He keeps speaking that to me in this place of our transition too. Blessings of peace to you dear sister.
I am so glad He never stops trying to speak to us – even in the hard and we seem so hyper-focused on our emotions for the challenges about us – but His messages are always still there! Continued prayers, Bettie! Much Much Shalom! ~ Maryleigh
We share the experience of finding that “enough is as good as a feast.”
I am thankful for the lean years and what they have taught us as a family.
So true, Michele! Lean years provide a priceless education.
Perfect timing & well written Maryleigh! And yes God is more then enough! 🤗
Bless you,
Jennifer
So thankful He is more than enough! Shalom, Jennifer! ~ Maryleigh
Maryleigh,
I needed this post as I have been caught up in all the evil in our world today. I know how the story ends, but it still gets to me. What a great time to behold the birds and remember how God has taken care of me all those times in the past and He will surely do it again. So glad I popped by!
Just looking at my news feed is daunting these days Bev! Feeling like I’m training for a marathon that is about a lifetime of Keeping my eyes on Him! Glad you came by! Shalom, my friend! ~ Maryleigh
Maryleigh, your words brought to mind the many ways God provided for my family in my growing-up years as well. He IS the God of more than enough. The photos you shared are stunning!
Jeanne He doesn’t stop – does He! As long as we keep pressing in, drawing closer, He doesn’t leave us! We have the stories, don’t we Jeanne, to prove it! Those bird photos? I don’t think I could have learned to capture them if I hadn’t learned how to wait with God. Learning to wait with God for those answered prayers, taught me to wait on the birds for photos! Shalom! ~ Maryleigh
Maryleigh, as always, I am grateful for your words. It is amazing to look back, to behold, the faithfulness of the Lord in His provision. Even when we lacked, we had enough. I am not even sure if at the time, we knew we lacked 🙂 He always made us feel provided for. Oh, for His amazing grace!
Joanne, I was telling someone the story of how my husband and I lacked when we married (no hot water, etc.) and they were mortified, saying, “I’m so sorry.” I was surprised. I didn’t feel like I needed someone to feel sorry for me. It was a part of the story that showed how big our love was. We knew we lacked, but we didn’t care. We had what we needed – just not the bells and whistles. Sometimes the lack just makes the story that much better – and makes our hearts that much more grateful! Thankful for God’s amazing grace, too, in this journey! ~ Maryleigh
Remembering examples of God’s faithfulness and provision in the past definitely gives us hope for the future.
Lesley, it sure does! Shalom!
I love this, Maryleigh, so often we hurry along without “beholding” and we miss the message God has for us!
Your remembrances always reflect the love and grace of God, Merileigh. I appreciate how you share with us.
The next time I see those seagulls clustered at the beach I’ll be thinkinng of this post!