Bird

It was a huge thump. I was sitting in the den writing last week and a small bird flew directly into the the large glass window facing me. It fell to the ground right beside Bentley my lab, who was resting peacefully in her backyard. She (Bentley) got up immediately to inspect her new visitor and I ran out quickly, in defense, scared that she would think the bird had been offered as an appetizer to lunch. I grabbed a paper towel and rescued the bird and brought it to my side as I continued to write, hardly able to keep my eyes off of this most delicate injured creature. It still was breathing and I figured, at least for now, was in shock due to the hit.

So, I wrote and the bird sat...without a move. As I stroked the feathers on its head and as I examined the details of this tiny creation..I couldn't help but to be reminded of the verse in Matthew where our value is compared to that of the birds.

Matthew 6: 25-27 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 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? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

We do have a tendency to worry about things that are far beyond our control. And we get our feathers up in a tiff when things do not go as we intended or we hit hard a window of frustration, disappointment, fear or grief. Our worry causes us to fall to the ground in anguish and pain. We know we need rescuing but who is there to help us pick up pieces, and regroup when we hit a wall. The answer of course is Christ. He sees us when we hit the wall of worry ..I suspect he grimaces at the very sight of us being grounded and unable to move because we have allowed our worry to overshadow our faith. But if we allow him to be our helper, he is there to gently pick us up, recondition our bearings and give us rest until we are able to once again fly on our own. Then the worry factor becomes overshadowed by the faith and it is there that we ultimately find God's peace.

The bird finally showed signs of gentle movement in his head and the opening of his beak...I was getting ready to leave town so I knew I was not going to be able to keep watch over this delicate little creature, so I found a shoe box, filled it with leaves and grass, and placed it outside on my patio table. There was a dot of blood on the paper towel where the bird had been originally placed but I could not see evidence of its origin, and I wondered...is this little one going to make it. I carefully laid the bird in the shoebox and was headed back in to get some bird seed...and before I got to the door, within minutes of placing the bird outdoors, he up and flew to the nearest magnolia tree. He was hurt but in spite of the hurt he was able to regain his ability to fly. For God had given it the strength to carry on.

And if that little bird was significant to God then think how much more we are even valued. Christ sees when we crash, he knows when we are injured physically, mentally or spiritually, and he is there each time to pick us up and protect us and strengthen us from further incident, at least until we are able to regain our bearings. We, unlike the birds, have a relationship with God based on knowledge and understanding of who Christ is and what he is able to do for us, and through us and within us. And it is on that relationship that we must choose to stand even in the midst of our pain and suffering and hard hits, and let God melt away our worries and grace us with a faithfulness in Him that carries us up to the branches of his sovereignty. God is watching us and will show his presence at any moment we call on his name. It is a matter of our faith in Christ and Christs' promised faithfulness to us, that gives us strength to carry on.

This was a living and breathing example before my very eyes of Christ raising up a battered little creature and enabling him to fly again. If he does that with a little bird then how much more is able to do with us and for us if only we will trust him and believe in his power to restore our hearts and souls with his peace and joy and healing. We cannot fix anything by worrying about it, we can only fix our eyes on Christ and know that he will help us to overcome our anxieties as we depend on his power, his control, his ability, his wisdom, his grace, and his abounding love for his children.

Dear Lord, Help us to be empowered by our faith in you and not be deflated by worry. Amen