Friday Follies

We, in the Northeast, geared up for a major snowstorm earlier this week.  As I was strategically planning placement of my shovels and the house generator in my garage, my eyes caught sight of the half empty bag of birdseed sitting on the garage floor.  I began to think that the birds would be cold and flying around looking for food so I filled up my bird feeder and hung it on the Rose of Sharon tree in the front.  I don’t know why I don’t fill it more in the winter anyway; isn’t that when they need it most?  Maybe I just never thought of it before.  So with my feeder filled and the snow blowing like crazy on Monday, I felt like I had done my part to support nature…… but no birds were brave enough to stop by during the storm as they were probably all huddled together “squawking” away about something or some new  “high flyer” that just wouldn’t conform to the standard rules of flight……….I made that last part up!

Anyway, today (Friday) I pulled into the driveway and had birds everywhere; on the bush, in the snow, flying to the feeder, from the feeder.  I just turned the truck off and watched.  Birds all over back and forth……flying around.  I wish I could have talked to them…….How did they find the feeder?  Did one bird invite their next door bird to come on over for some seed?  Was it a family of birds who were simply lucky enough to find the feeder and eat well today?  Is that feeder being written on a bird map now as a place to grab a quick bite in the storm?  Will they keep coming back to feed?

The Bible tells us that God cares about even the smallest sparrow so surely He cares about you and me.  So with that in mind and the idea that Jesus is the Bread of Life;  How do we find the feeder?  Did another person who was enjoying the bread of life invite you to the meal that changed you?  When you go to church do you and other believers feast together on the bread or do some squawk about what is being feed to them?  Remember the Israelites in the Old Testament complaining about the manna that God provided.  Funny thing about us people, once we get into a routine of things change freaks us out or we simply get sick of the routine…….just like way back when the manna was feed to them day after day after day.

Another question I would ask the birds, Do you get sick of the seed over time?  Do you look for other things to replace the seed that sustained you when the ground was covered in white?  Wasn’t the seed good enough in the storm?  Why is it not good enough when there is no storm?  Are the birds content with the seed or will they fly off and starve because after all, if we found that seed surely there is better seed somewhere else…..  As the Bread of Life, Jesus has provided manna and Himself as bread for the body.  As I was deep in my thought process sitting in the truck and just about to come to an earth shattering and profound bit of truth, my phone vibrated and it was my wife, who has the flu and is home.  She was texting me.  I rushed to see what she texted expecting it to be something like, “I know, aren’t those birds amazing and teaching us some really good life lessons.”  But that was not the case, it simply said, “why are you sitting in your truck in the driveway.”  Life can only be deep and spiritual in spurts because our capacity to see and understand the spiritual is limited.  So I was glad to see my wife and will look for the birds to teach me more in the days to come.  Be well.