broken birds, broken people
The Lord gave me a sweet gift today for Mother's Day. Although I once again missed an important "mother's day" event due to my prolonged illness, God, in turn, graciously took the opportunity to remind me of one of his precious promises. I've been watching with great joy the activities of a pair of House Finches out my kitchen window. They've been busy starting a family in the faux evergreen tree on my deck and what a thrill it's been to watch their process: Building the nest (like two skilled architects!), laying the eggs (5 precious eggs, each one barely bigger than a jelly bean), tending to the eggs and caring for their young. This morning, after once again checking on the birdies as I do every morning, a massive commotion erupted on the deck: Birds of all species dive-bombing my dog, my husband yelling, the dog barking and me spilling my coffee while running to see what was up. When I arrived, all at once things were calm again...accept for a tiny baby bird lying helpless at the foot of the evergreen tree. It looked as if it had been injured in its fall out of the nest so, believing it to be doomed, I picked it up, carried it around for a bit in tears and then, not having the courage to kill it (but also knowing it's parents would have nothing to do with it now that I'd touched it), I put it back in it's nest (thinking this would be the most comfortable way to die).
But, in the middle of this minor ordeal, as I wandered around with this helpless bird in my hand, crying and pacing and wondering what to do (while its parents frantically circled above me), God spoke to my heart saying "this is not minor to me, my child."
In Matthew 10:29, Jesus told his disciples that ...not a single sparrow falls to the ground without your Father knowing it. The Almighty God of the universe knows and cares that today, a baby bird fell to the ground on my deck (crying now). And even better, Jesus went on to tell his disciples that, if God cares that much about a sparrow, think how much more he cares for you, his precious child. How precious. He knows my heart was broken that I once again missed an important event due to illness yet he tended to my heart with tenderness and charm, just like those House Finch parents tended to their young, from start to finish. Wow, what a wonderful Savior we have.
Let the Lord tend to your heart as he did mine. He's a superb comforter, always knowing exactly what we need.
Isaiah 61:1-7
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. 2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. 3 To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities destroyed long ago. They will revive them, though they have been deserted for many generations. 5 Foreigners will be your servants. They will feed your flocks and plow your fields and tend your vineyards. 6 You will be called priests of the Lord, ministers of our God. You will feed on the treasures of the nations and boast in their riches. 7 Instead of shame and dishonor, you will enjoy a double share of honor. You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.