Luke 12:24 – Look at the crows: they don't sow seeds or gather a harvest; they don't have storage rooms or barns; God feeds them! You are worth so much more than birds! (GNB)
As I watch the birds gather twigs and grass to build their nests this spring, I am reminded of something that happened when I was a child. A robin built a nest in a cedar tree just off our back deck. Since the deck was built off the ground, we were almost at eye level with the nest. We watched and waited as the mother robin sat on her eggs. Soon, we saw her bringing tidbits to the newly-hatched babies.
As the babies grew, we were able to see their heads poking out of the nest. One day, to our surprise, we found a baby bird on the ground. As they grew, we thought, the robins had become too cramped in their nest, and one of the birds had fallen out. My father got his ladder, and gently placed the baby back in his nest.
The next day, the baby was back on the ground. Up my father went again, and returned it to its home. This happened several more times, before the baby was able to stay in its nest.
We continued to watch the birds as they became fledglings and started to fly for short distances. They could be seen searching for food in our backyard.
Imagine our surprise the first day we noticed the whole family together — mother robin, several baby robins, and a baby grackle! We then discovered that there was a grackle nest higher in that same cedar tree. A baby grackle fell out of its nest, and we put it in the robin nest. The mother robin, knowing that it was not one of her own, kept pushing it out. And we kept putting it back in! Eventually, the mother accepted the grackle as one of hers. She faithfully and lovingly fed and nurtured her adopted baby as her own.
God nurtures us too. He accepts us as we are, never questioning. We are always welcome in his family.
Prayer: Loving God, You welcome us into Your family, no matter where we come from. You will always protect us in Your strong arms. Give us comfort as we face our daily lives. Amen.
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