Woodstock and Wisdom

3 May 2015 - The April showers brought the May flowers, sunshine, spring clothes, gaggles of people at the home improvement and garden stores....What else? BABY BIRDS! Little Snoopy friends! 

I have been stalking a nest of Killdeer eggs for several weeks and am excited to say that 3 of the 4 little guys pecked their way out into the world this weekend! I spent a good portion of today (I have the redneck sunburn to prove it) following them around the yard, watching mom and dad trying to keep their curious and clumsy crowd safe and accounted for.

How do you break out of your shell?

A brother is born for adversity! Stick by those who are a little slow....

As I watched nature at work, I could not help but be reminded that God has given all of His creation exactly what they need: “Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young-- a place near your altar, LORD Almighty, my King and my God” (Psalm 84:3, NIV). “If a bird sees a trap being set, if knows to stay away” (Proverbs 1:17, NLT).

God’s creatures set about their daily routines without a worry or thought about what will happen tomorrow because God has blessed with the instinct and knowledge they need. No worries about being too fat, too old; a need to be prettier, smarter, the richest—nature does not seek to be any more than God created it to be.  

And God created you and me. He designed us, His beloved children,in His own image. He gave us something more than He did the birds of the air, the fish in the sea, or the beasts in the fields and forest. We are designed to be in relationship with Him and with one another. We can go to God and ask—in faith—and believe that we will receive His best for our lives. That makes us even more amazing than anything you will see on a National Geographic special. 

Yet, while we have instincts, intelligence,gifts, and talents that will help us to survive—and do more than just thrive in this world—we do not all have wisdom.  Rather, we do not always ask for or seek wisdom, relying instead, on our own understanding.  We sometimes think we know how to do it all on our own, are smarter than our parents or teachers, or care only for our own immediate gratification. Question: How is that working for you? How many of you have, like me, have said, with a mouthful of regret, “If only I had....?”

... Used the wisdom that God made available to me: In His written Word. Through the guidance of my parents and grandparents. Through the testimony of prodigal sons and daughters... I can listen to my gut, listen to my heart, listen to my head; but, if I am not listening to God, asking for His wisdom, I am a fool. 

“But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm” (Proverbs 1:33, NLT).