The girls and I spent the day dog-sitting for friends again. Since we're in a location that is more "nature-abundant", we enjoy searching for critters that we wouldn't normally see where we live. So far we have found a salamander (whom was swimming in the pool), and a drowned rat (and I mean that quite literally...). The girls were grossed out by the rat, whom apparently had the unfortunate experience of swimming in a pool with no escape. The dogs thought it was a fabulous toy. The salamander was played with for a while, then released back into the pool. We just didn't know where else to put the little guy. Or girl. Not sure about that one.
But the neatest thing we encountered was this mossy little bird nest. Hidden high up on the corner of a house, built under the protection of the roof overhang. Clever little momma. We had actually found the nest last time we were visiting, and peeked inside to find it empty. Today, to our delight, when we peeked in we discovered one teeny, tiny, fragile, little egg. No larger than my finger tip. After some internet research, we learned that more than likely it is an egg of a tree swallow. My mind recalled that there's a verse in the Bible about a swallow. I had to do some investigating.
Psalm 84 is a wonderful little chapter. It actually is a song, accompanied by a "stringed instrument". In a more modern world, I picture it sung to electric guitar, and possibly with a little bass guitar mixed in. And the singer would have a really screechy, hoarse sounding kind of voice. Just kidding...I'm getting a bit side tracked now.
Back to the swallow nest. And Psalm 84. The chapter starts out by joyfully saying how wonderful it is to live in God's presence and protection. Indeed, how it is. To live, understanding that every moment has a meaning; a purpose. To know that there is always a bigger picture at play. That is isn't just about me, and my little world at the present. There is such joy in dwelling there. The verse goes on to talk about the care that a swallow or a sparrow takes in building her nest, her home, to raise her young. The swallow takes measures to make sure that it is a safe environment, for she knows that her young will be there until they set off to build nests of their own. She carefully gathers the materials that she will need to make sure her home is sturdy, warm and comfortable. She travels near and far, scavenging just the right things for the comfort of her clutch. And, after they are hatched, she dutifully nourishes them until they are able to care for themselves. And she does this purely out of instinct. She doesn't question it, complain about it, or ponder why. She just does.
How much there is for us to learn from these birds. Our children are at the mercy of our "nest-building". Where we choose to place our nest is so very important. It determines quite a bit about their futures. As my girls grow older, I hope they understand that we tried our best to build our nest and raise our young under the safety of God's wings. He has kept us sheltered from the rain, protected under His umbrella. It hasn't kept the rain from falling, but it has made the impact less devastating. As parents we often fail, but we are continually striving to nourish our children on the wisdom of God's Word. We're preparing for the day when they are ready to leave our nest. Some day they will have to build nests of their own. They're going to need a good, solid foundation. Hopefully, despite our failures, we will have laid that foundation for them.
We can't wait to come back and follow up on the progress of this little egg. Maybe there will be more eggs. Maybe we'll be able to see baby birds hatch and grow. I do so enjoy watching God's beautiful creation. They're gentle whispers of God's presence.
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