Recently, I heard a story about a bird and its challenges to build a nest.
One day, a logger entered a woodland area, seeking to harvest some trees suitable for use. Just as he was about to start felling his first tree, he saw a bird flying in with various small branches to build a nest. Well, the lumberjack, being a kind soul, couldn’t bring himself to cut down the tree, risking injury to the bird and its babies. So, he decided to whack the tree with the backside of his axe to shake the bird up a little, irritating it until it finally left. Whack…whack…whack! The bird was jostled to and fro until it flew off, shaken up, to another tree.
The lumberjack moved on and came to a new tree. It just so happened that this tree, too, was selected by the same bird for its nest. Knowing the tree would soon come down and that he couldn’t let the bird settle in, he followed his same effort, rattling the bird to move on and find another place to nest. Finally, the bird, being knocked around again, flew to a third tree to build its nest.
It turns out that that tree was selected to come down as well. Once again, blows to the tree kept the bird from getting comfortable until it finally had enough.
At this point, the bird noticed a cleft high up in the side of a rock ledge nearby. Desperate and shaken, it flew to the rock and began building its nest, this time safe and sound.
What’s the moral of the story?
Sometimes, discomfort forces us to a place of safety and rest.
How Does This Apply To Us Today?
- God uses challenges in our lives to…
- Trust Him.
- Guide us along to a place of rest.
- Teach us that He works in the details.
Do you ever feel like that bird jostled from one tree to the next?
Friend, God is with you. He is caring for you. He loves you. Draw near to Christ. While our Lord doesn’t always take away the pain or the struggle, He is with you, enabling you to endure, rest, and remember…
“The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Psalm 23
— November 7, 2023