A Lesson From the Birds
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Romans 1:20
In short, glimpses of God’s glory, majesty, and splendor are all around us, and we don’t need to look any farther than in the creation that He has made.
We can learn a lot from creation. Rather, creation can teach us a lesson or two…
When tempted with laziness, the Bible instructs us to observe the ant. “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!” (see Proverbs 6:6-8). Ants have strong work ethic and are team players. They waste no time preparing for the winter months while the summer sun is still blazing hot.
When possessing precious truths, we shouldn’t carelessly toss them to whoever - like ones who would throw pearls before swine, because discretion and boundaries are important and pigs trample whatever is underfoot. (see Matthew 7:6).
And when faced with worry, we are to consider the flowers and the birds. Since our Heavenly Father feeds the birds and clothes the flowers, we shouldn’t worry about our life since He is aware of everything we need. (see Matthew 6:26-27).
Yes, we can learn a lot from creation, and truth be told, I learned a lesson from the birds this week.
About five years ago I was blessed with a patio set for Mother’s Day. My husband surprised me with the purchase and assembled the couch, two rocking chairs, and coffee table. It fit perfectly on our three-seasons back porch. Being it was May in the Midwest - which called for pleasant spring mornings - I started having my quiet time with my Bible and journal and drinking my morning coffee on what I started calling my porch. And I made it as “mine" as I possibly could… I put away all of the children’s bright, primary colored toys and wheels inside a garden storage tote. I also added a couple throw pillows, a soft blanket, a bunch of succulents, and a Glade plug-in that made the space smell and feel clean and inviting.
And it was there on my back porch where I started hearing the birds. The birds always sing in the morning, I thought to myself. No matter how long of a day I had had the day before, no matter what kind of sleep I had gotten or hadn’t, no matter how well-behaved the children were or weren’t, no matter if I had felt that my husband and I had connected with each other or not…The birds always sing in the morning. It was as if they brought me perspective of a clean slate and a fresh start with each dawn’s cheery song.
And the birds nodded to their Creator in the melody because Lamentations says that “His mercies are new every morning.“
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
I loved their morning song - always so full of hope and expectancy for the day ahead. And so, wanting to encourage them to continue on in their morning songs, I decided to invest a little in my own backyard oasis. The next time I was at Walmart I picked up a bird feeder and some birdseed. I hung my feeder off of our cute, little evergreen tree and couldn't contain myself - imagining the feeder swarming with birds the following morning.
Well, you can imagine my dismay when the birds flew all around our backyard the next day, but never once stopped to eat the black oil sunflower seeds that I had purchased explicitly for them.
A few days of disappointment went by before I decided to do a little more research. I quickly learned that birds were attracted to seed that also provided nearby shelter and water. I didn’t waste any time in filling a birdbath that was given to me by my husband’s grandpa shortly after we had gotten married.
The next morning I sat with the biggest smile on my face and teary eyes when I had chickadees, finches, and cardinals all arriving to the party that I had thrown for them.
Five years have passed and I’m still feeding the birds. My backyard has changed drastically as we’ve since moved to a different state and now live in a very wooded area. I find comfort in watching the birds flock to my feeders and the collection has grown to include nuthatches, blue jays, red-bellied woodpeckers, orioles, and my favorite of all: indigo buntings in the spring.
The rule of thumb for feeding birds is this: once you establish a feeder, keep it full. The birds in your neighborhood will begin to depend on the birdseed and especially with Midwest’s harsh winters, it could be damaging to their livelihood to allow the feeder to go empty.
This brings me to the present… I have some very hungry birds right now! They all seem to be gearing up for the long, cold winter months ahead and are in a feeding frenzy. The sparrows are quite round and I chuckle when I notice their plump bellies that seem to drag along the ground. I seem to be constantly filling my feeders. This has even been met with some sighs and a little bit of dread, Again? I just filled them yesterday! And so, I find my husband’s work coat and a pair of warm gloves and set outside to fill what will only be gone in a day or two.
Yet how often do we approach the in’s and out’s - the “wash, rinse, and repeat” of motherhood - with this same sentiment??
Again? I just did those dishes yesterday! How is the sink already full of used and dirty?
Again? I just washed all your laundry last week! How can you be out of socks and underwear? Didn’t I just do that load?
Again? That sink was wiped clean on Monday and it’s already streaked with blue, sparkly toothpaste!
Again? How can we possibly be out of milk, bread, and eggs! I just picked those up earlier this week!
Again?? It never ends! I finish one job just in time for another one needing to be done…
And I’ll be honest, as I filled my feeders I realized that was exactly the sentiment that was creeping into my motherhood …always filling, always needing filled. It felt draining and discouraging.
And then the Spirit of God whispered to my weary heart, But I thought you loved the birds? The birds sing in the morning, remember?
I realized that I was allowing something that I received so much enjoyment over to be overshadowed by its upkeep. You can’t have active bird feeders without continuing to fill them…and you can’t have a full household without continuing to do the dishes, laundry, cooking, and cleaning either!
And taking another lesson from creation, wise King Solomon said,
Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.
Proverbs 4:4
So I repented of my begrudging heart and asked to be filled with an entirely different perspective. Instead of sighing when I noticed an empty feeder - that needed to be filled again - I thanked the Creator for life.
Thank you, God, for the lesson from the birds. They’re hungry, and I’m in a place where they can find food, shelter, and water.
This same lesson translated into my mothering… Instead of looking at the messes, the to-do lists, the bare cupboards that needed filled, the piles of laundry and dishes that needed washed, the bills that needed to be paid, and feeling completely overwhelmed to do it all - I thanked God for life.
Thank you, God, for my family. For my husband who leads and loves me so well. Thank You for my four, beautiful, healthy children that need me to provide food, shelter, and clothing for them. Thank You that I have a house to make a home. I commit to fill it with love and laughter. I know that I am mothering on purpose and for purpose, and I will not complain when the clothes pile up and the messes stack up. It’s only a matter of time when my house will be much too empty and much too clean when they’re all gone; so for now, I’ll thank You for the mess of life that You've so graciously given to me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.