Birdwatching
As Christians, we understand how God shows us what we need to know when we need to know it. His timing is so perfect.
I am currently reading the all-in-one book and journal entitled Jesus authored by Beth Moore. Recently, I was able to set aside time to do some extra reading, writing and journaling
As I sat there reading Beth's book, the Holy Spirit pointed out a simplistic yet beautiful truth. I could hear some baby birds struggling to voice their needs. I was unable to pinpoint where the sound was coming from, as the area is lush with many trees. Suddenly, a brief memory of the summer of 2003 emerged, and I recalled that several families of birds had nested in my own backyard. I settled in and continued reading my book and was amazed at what I saw staring me in the face.
"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father."
Matthew 10:29
Beth, from time to time, looks outside her kitchen window and sees sparrows grace her backyard. Seeing the sparrows and remembering the scripture from Matthew 10:29, helps her put things into proper perspective.
Beth commented that the sparrows certainly aren't the most attractive birds she sees in her backyard. Yet, God takes care of them, and this Bible verse serves as a reminder that he will take care of her needs as well.
Sometimes, we need to be reminded of these basic truths. I feel that the Holy Spirit used the setting where I was reading, Beth's comments and the Bible verse to help me remember what transpired in my life back during the summer of 2003.
From May until August of that year our family went through a period of realizing that a member of our family may not survive a very serious surgery. At the time I didn't realize the full impact of what God was trying to show me.
We had four families of morning doves successively build nests in the backyard. We could actually see the nesting process from the kitchen window. Back then, I didn't realize that God was attempting to provide a lesson of reassurance. He was trying to show me just how precious these families were to Him. He wanted me to see that he was taking care of each of these little families and he wanted me to know that he was walking with my family as well. He wanted me to trust him.
Late in July of 2003, the last pair of mourning doves to nest returned to our backyard. They sat together beneath the tree where the empty nest was located. All of their babies had flown away about two weeks or so earlier. The pair stayed there perched on the rock for about an hour or so and actually allowed members of my family and I to walk very close to them. I remember returning to a room in our house, grabbing my digital camera and returning to take a picture of these morning doves. Although it may difficult to see, the actual mourning doves appear perched on the rock in the photo above. If you click on the picture above, the picture will enlarge, and you can more clearly see the mourning doves.
Our family felt that there was something spiritual about the occurrence, but we didn’t fully understand the message. Today, after reading Beth Moore’s commentary and listening to the birds in the trees, I now finally understand that if I had been more in the Word, I would have remembered Matthew 10:29, and our family would have been more comforted by this scripture.
I am hoping that God is blessing you and your family in some special way this spring and summer.
Why not take a moment to visit the following website that I recently discovered.
Lee’s Birdwatching Adventures Plus -
Doves and Pigeons
And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest. (Psa 55:6)
I feel that whether you are homeschooling or a parent looking for some supplemental summer lesson planning involving the study of birds, you will be truly blessed by the wealth of information found on the Birds of the Bible website.
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