Birds of a Feather

“….how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.”
Matthew 23:37

My mom has a thing for bottle feeding creatures, i.e. bunnies, lambs, kittens and birds. Ok, not birds, she feeds them with an eye dropper. This past weekend, my dad brought in two baby birds for her to take care of. One of the birds is very strong-willed and wanting to fly. The other has a tattered wing and isn’t quite so aggressive. It’s been an entertainment, as well as an opportunity to learn something.

My mom has had to pry their tiny beaks open so she could stick the eye dropper in and give them their one drop of food. She keeps talking to them saying, “I know what’s best for you, I wish you trusted me enough to open your mouth, you need more than you’re getting.”

Well, today, for the first time, the weaker baby opened his mouth by himself to accept food, and just now, he’s eating out of her hand. The joy in my mom’s tone is that which I imagine our God has in us when we accept His care of us. When we accept God on His terms, He LOVES providing for us, and wants to bless us even more. That’s when the intimacy of relationship enters into our lives. My mom is relating to the bird now, and feeding him is a pleasure. There’s just something really cool about thinking about going from stiff arming God and feeling the consequences to falling into step with Him and accepting Him as He is and opening our lives up to Him….that’s when we begin to be touched by the hand of God. How special is that?

How intimate!!

How powerful!!

How wonderful.

The baby bird, who’s stronger, is the one who still fights the eye dropper. He has yet to experience the intimacy of the hand of his feeder. All he knows is that when she finally pries his mouth open, he enjoys what goes down his throat. But he can’t share in the “relationship” the other bird has with my mom. Maybe before this is over, before she sets them free to fly outside, he will have accepted her….time will tell.

For me, I have to admit, I look with envy at the bird with the tattered wing. I still have a hard time accepting the hand of the Provider. I want what He provides, but to, in essence, eat out of the palm of His hand? I’m like the other bird.

But I want to be the one, who when He reaches out His hand of blessing, I take the blessing AND the hand with gusto.

I want to hear my Creator shout out with joy, “She did it!!”

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you.” declares the LORD.”
Jeremiah 29:11-14a