A Bird’s Eye View

I don’t like birds.  Well, that’s not entirely true. I like them from a distance.  I hate the flittering of wings when they fly near me.  I duck and weave just to avoid any close contact.  When I was about five years old, I accidentally got near a Canadian Goose nest and let’s just say that mama goose wasn’t too happy with me.  That experience made me wary.

I do have a soft spot for baby birds, though.  Each year a bird builds a nest in my hanging pot on the front porch.  I get to watch the babies go from little blue eggs to birds ready to take flight.  This week, God used my fear and soft heart to remind me of an important message:  the Father always finds us.

It’s yard work time in the Campbell household.  We spent the weekend weeding, trimming, planting.  I trimmed a lilac bush pretty hard to get rid of a lot of dead branches and in the process, knocked down a nest with three baby birds.  I didn’t even find the nest until later that evening when I was watering.  I knew I needed to get them up off the ground to protect them, but how and where would I put them?  I called my daughter who put on gloves and gently carried the nest of babies to our deck.  We placed them in a planter.  Our deck is ten feet off the ground, so we figured they’d be safe.  They looked close to ready to fly.  But they still needed their mama and daddy.  I was worried that they wouldn’t find them or would reject them since we moved them. 

As we were inside googling what to feed baby birds and trying to figure out what kind of bird they were, we see a beautiful cardinal sitting on the planter.  I’ve seen this cardinal around a lot this spring; I suddenly knew why.  These were his babies and he found them.  He immediately started to feed them, and we watched as he went from nearby tree to planter and back again to check on them. 

Two of the babies were gone the next morning.  We looked over the deck and one was on the ground.  He seemed to be content just settled in some high grass.  I worried that some animal would get to him, and my mind started racing with how I could protect him.  Then I saw the Cardinal.  He called to the baby, and it moved toward his father’s voice.  We watched as they repeated this dance – the father calling to the baby and the baby following his voice.  It seemed like the father was teaching the baby to follow him and fly.  Each time the father called, the baby flapped its wings harder and covered a little more distance each time.

From this bird’s eye view, my heart knew God showed me this to remind me that He will always find me.  No matter where I am in this journey called life, He is watching over me.  No matter if I am in a season of growth in my faith, or a season of selfishness, He is close by.  His protection doesn’t go away.  His provision is faithful.  His love is full and relentless.  He never gives up on me and even if my nest gets moved by my own hands, He always knows where I am.

I am reminded of Matthew 18:12: “What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?”   Historians suggest that 100 would have been the average size of a flock in Palestine during this time.  Sheep were a valuable commodity.  It was common for a shepherd to leave his flock with another shepherd while he went searching for a wandering animal.  Jesus shared this parable to illustrate the value that God places on every single person who believes in Jesus.  

God doesn’t wish for any of us to go astray.  Yet, He knows we will.  We will make poor choices.  We will lose hope.  We will become frustrated and impatient.  Sometimes, life will move our nest.  But our Father who sees and knows all, and who loves you with an infinite love, will never stop searching for you.  He will call to you over and over again.  Waiting patiently as you take tenuous steps back to Him.  And then, when you fully trust Him, he will teach you to fly.

So, what about that third baby in the nest?  This morning, he was snuggled under the leaf of a Gerbera Daisy as his daddy visited and fed him.  I had a little morning chat with him and went about my day.  I began writing this blog and took a break for lunch.  I went to the deck to check on him and he was gone.  I looked to be sure he hadn’t fallen but he was nowhere to be seen.  My heart was a little sad.  I’d grown kind of attached to the little guy.  The late bloomer.  The one who wanted to rest at home a little longer.  The one who was content with the status quo.  But his father had other plans for him.  And those plans were for him to fly.

How can you trust the Father to always find you?  And what steps do you need to take to finally fly?