I was looking out of my slightly opened window, hearing a lot of commotion coming from the bird feeder on our back deck. I was delighted to see a shy woodpecker with its characteristic stripe of red on its head, along with a quite noisy blue jay, happily munching away. A young cardinal joined them, and some little chickadees and song sparrows also tried their best to get a peck at the delicious seeds so abundantly spilling through the openings of our bird feeder. It filled me with such joy , happiness and gratitude to watch them enjoy our offering of food.

As a matter of fact, whenever I am at home and get a chance, I will look outside in hopes I’ll see birds at the bird feeder. I admit, I wished that even more birds would know about our backyard bird feeder and take from the abundance of seeds supplied.

While I was joyfully watching the birds pecking away, I was reminded of a former realization I had had a few years ago, but had, as I so frequently do, once again stored away in the deeper recesses of my mind. But now it was insistent in pushing its way up into my conscious mind. I believe that my constant request for Divine Guidance is what allowed for the memory of this spiritual insight to resurface; I was ready to revisit it and deepen my understanding. I shouldn’t have been surprised, as I had been treating* almost daily “to know more of God (Spirit, the Universe  etc.)  and how It works” for about a couple of weeks, or so.

I have found and come to know that every moment of our day holds the possibility and opportunity to learn profound spiritual truth through seemingly trivial everyday occurrences. And watching the birds at the bird feeder was such a moment.

God, Source, Spirit, the Universe, or whatever you want to call the Infinite Intelligence that is the creator of all that is and will be, is absolute abundance and INFINITE SUPPLY. And just like it fills me with joy watching the birds as they accept my offering of seeds, the Universe rejoices when I accept Its abundance, prosperity and supply of everything Good that I desire! This includes health, wealth, relationships, success and anything else that makes for a happy life!

Let’s look at some eye-opening facts:

  • Did the birds have to prove that they were deserving of getting ‘food’? Did they have to fulfill any prerequisites aside from being aware of the feeder and taking the action to fly to the bird feeder? NO! The birds didn’t have to do anything to ‘deserve’ the seeds. They only needed to know about the seeds in the feeder and simply show up to receive. YOU only need to know that the Universe is Infinite Supply of anything you could possibly desire, and let the acceptance of that fact guide your thoughts and actions.
  • The birds didn’t have to work hard to receive seeds, in fact, the food is provided to them with absolute ease and effortlessness on their part. YOU don’t have to work hard to deserve abundance. You already deserve it. Your only work is cultivating a consistent mindset that reflects that fact, and therefore puts you into a state of receiving that which you desire.
  • Birds don’t feel ashamed to receive without deliberately giving anything in return. They simply enjoy the gift. And, probably unbeknownst to them, their joy becomes my joy. Let’s really think about this for a moment. Is it really so hard to accept that all of the Universe rejoices in our partaking of its Infinite Abundance? Let’s allow ourselves to flow with life, and to take what is being offered to us. Let’s no longer clog those supply lines with feelings of unworthiness, negative beliefs and feelings, but rather allow a perfect flow. The more joy we feel, the more joy we give unto the world. The more we receive, the more we have to give.
  • These birds are persistent in their positive expectation: even if I don’t get around to filling up the bird feeder, the birds will still come and look for food, knowing that this seeming state of lack is only a temporary occurrence. In actuality, there is no lack, since I still have bags of bird feed readily available in my outdoor shed. It only seems as if there is no birdfeed, because it is hidden from their eyes. But do the birds give up, go into depression, bemoan their fate, make negative assumptions about the future, or expect the worst? NO! They have what I would like to call “faith coupled with a healthy sense of entitlement”. So much so, that they literally DEMAND it! I am not exaggerating when I tell you that some of them fly up to the window of my home office, sit on the window air conditioner, and literally STARE at me until I go outside and refill the feeder!

Now, of course, the analogy I am using to make a point here is somewhat skewed, since God isn’t like me in the sense of ever forgetting to provide for us. The Universe is Infinite Supply and Abundance and always self-giving. However, our own state of consciousness, mindset, negative beliefs, emotions, and expectations can cloud our vision of the abundance that’s really there.

I did have more analogies come to mind, but for the sake of keeping this post at an acceptable length, I will dispense with these for now!

As many fellow seekers of spiritual truth, I consult various sacred texts and books to find appropriate quotes to highlight a spiritual principle, and no quote could have been more fitting regarding the insight I gleaned from watching the birds today, than the bible verses found in Matthew 6:26-33:

26 “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. “

(I interpret “his kingdom” as Universal Mind, the non-physical cause that becomes what we think into it, and “seeking his righteousness” as having knowledge of the Universal Laws that govern all of creation and using this knowledge to deliberately create in the ‘right’ way)

Let us remind ourselves again, and again, and again, that the ONLY reason we experience any form of lack, no matter how permanent and persistent it seems, lies within our own habitual mindset, and not because there is any truth to lack, or because we don’t deserve to live a life of freedom and ease. And, most important, our habitual mindset is something we have the power and ability to change!

However, that topic is best left for my next blog post!

*treating: affirmatively praying