I have always loved birds. I think it might be a reminiscent infatuation from my
childhood. As I watched Cinderella and her little bird friends on the good old
VHS, I longed for some birdie friends of my own. I have vivid memories of playing outside and standing very
still with my finger available for any bird to perch upon. I set friendly traps in hopes to get to
sing with the sweet winged-creature just as my favorite Disney princesses did. (Don’t judge…you have your own vivid memories!)
As I have gotten older birds have begun to symbolize much
more than dreams and wishes my heart might make. God loves the birds too. He even uses them in His Word to remind us of His protection
and His love for each of us.
One afternoon a few weeks ago I was cleaning orange
splatters of baby food off the back seat of my car. I thought my Little Man was ready to eat from a
squeezy-pouch of food all by himself…I was wrong…it was a carrot crime scene.
I plopped the kids in the grass to play and I propped open
the door into the house to easily go back and forth. Scrubbing away, a funny
thing happened. A bird flew right
into my garage, through the door, and landed on my ceiling fan.
I stood and watched it, perplexed, trying to find a quick
exit for my fine-feathered guest.
I opened the back-slider and waited. The bird flew to a shelf and landed next to a statue I
received as a wedding gift, a husband and wife embracing. It flew back to the fan. Then it ventured to the sweet picture
of the four of us on my mantle and again, back to the fan. The next place it perched was on my big
clock and then of course, back to the fan. Finally, it made a break for it and found it’s way out the
sliding door.
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| No, that's not me holding the bird...sadly...but this is my bird...It's a Flycather. |
A few days later we found a nest this bird had been building
in the garage in the leg of ladder that had been hanging from the ceiling. It was almost complete. At first, I didn’t have the heart to
disturb this mama’s hard work. She
had been precise and patient waiting for the garage to be open to do her
job. Yielding to her
responsibility, surrendering to her call, she dutifully and persistently went
to work building a dwelling place for her family.
Due to sanitation issues we had to remove it, however, that nest made me pray. I asked God about his sweet creature. And as I prayed I was reminded of our
rendezvous in my house and the places she perched.
The statue of a husband and a wife: “Pray for your marriage.” It was
time to pray prayers that would not just bless and protect but prayers that
would produce fruit and growth. I
prayed for unity and for the embracing to last our lifetimes. I prayed for my husband, no more prayers
laced with selfish ambition, but prayers for him that would bring the future
and hope that God might have for him.
The picture of my family: “Pray for your children.” I prayed for my kids to
have hearts that care about people.
I prayed that we would not let our fear or even our good intentions get
in the way of what God has called each of them to be. May we see early the path they are to walk and do our best
to keep Jesus the hero of their lives.
The clock: “Pray
for your time.” Then I was promptly convicted of my “time-wasters.” My minutes are precious. My babies are little and I will regret
my lost moments given to Facebook and Pinterest or even the laundry at
times. My time is a gift. I need
to stop wasting it.
I thought about that Mama Bird doing what she was created to
do and I knew that what this little birdie was telling me was an assignment…one
too important to fail.
It is not
enough to pray out of defense and worry.
As a mama I need to build.
I need to be patient and persistent, yielding to my responsibility and
surrendering to my call. As I
abide, make my dwelling, in Christ so might my family and the world may just be better for it.
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? – Matthew 6:26
