Birds of the Air

We have watched them coming back and forth, bringing food for their 5 babies. The nest is right outside our dining room window snuggled into the branches of our knockout roses. They are perfectly protected from any predators there.

Cardinals. They are beautiful, and it only took a few days for the tiny babies that looked so frail and fragile to start to venture out of the nest.

I was shocked to find them hopping around the roses this morning. Little balls of fur happy to be out of the nest. 

But there was 1 not strong enough to venture out yet. He didn't have nearly as many feathers as the other 4. The runt remained behind in the nest while the other ventured out. 

Brian warned us all that they might not all survive. Five babies makes for a lot of tiny beaks to feed. 

But we were hopeful. Maybe he would just need a little more time. But within a couple hours, the other 4 were gone. I watched the daddy flit off with the last one. 

And one tiny baby bird was left in the nest. 

I understood that the momma and daddy had to go with the other 4. They were going whether or not the last was coming or not. 

So we watched him throughout the day. Hoping he would come around or that the mom or dad would come back to feed him. 

Around 3:00, Brian decided to give him some water in a dropper. He got so excited and started flitting his little wings and chirping.

That was all it took. We aptly named him Mo (as in mohawk) since his feathers are coming in in sort of a mohawk pattern at the moment, and Brian started digging in the garden for worms. 

As a side note, there is something sexy about your man taking care of a baby bird. 

He mushed up a few worms, added some water, and put that concoction in the dropper to give to Mo. And Mo was thrilled. 

When I returned home from my errands this afternoon, he informed me that he had completed 3 successful feedings. Mo was gaining back his strength. 

And amazingly, that's all it took. 

Within a couple hours, we watched the daddy cardinal come back and feed that baby. 

And then momma came back and fed that baby. 

And they continued to come back and feed him. 

I don't think they wanted to leave him. They had to to take care of the other 4. We were able to get Mo through the afternoon until mom and dad could come back and tend to him. 

And they did. 

And as I prepared for my online bible study tonight, I was reminded of the verse about how the Lord provides for the birds. I couldn't remember where it was, and I was running late, so I just forgot about the story and the scripture all together. 

As we got into our discussion, we came to a question that talked about how we often feel and who the Bible says we are in Christ and the gap that often exists between the two.  

As we were sharing, one of the girls said that she often feels worthless and insignificant. I started to remind her that the Lord's word says that we are not worthless and insignificant but valuable and special. I looked down to reference the scripture that was in our study guide reminding us that we are valuable, and there was the verse, Matthew 6:26. I had no clue what that verse was, but I felt that we should look it up. 

So I turned to Matthew and started to read the words that Christ spoke:

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? 

And I knew that the Lord was working to show this girl exactly how valuable she was. This was the verse that had come to my mind as we set down to meet. I didn't know where it was, but I didn't need to. He clearly wanted her to hear those words, and hear the story of how we stepped in for a moment to care for a bird. A bird that He cares for and provides for even when its mom and dad can't.

And He loves us so much more than that. We are so valuable to the Lord. He loves us so much. And while we may at times see ourselves as worthless, He reminds us everyday as the birds fly above us, that He loves us more than them. He finds so much value in us that He will always provide for us just as He provides for the birds of the air.

Thank you Father for your simple and beautiful reminders that we are so incredibly valuable to you. We love you and trust you and submit our lives to you. In Christ's name....Amen.