Blind Faith (No. 30, 2008)
Some days start out brimming full of God’s blessings. A recent
Saturday morning was one of those days. We awoke to surprisingly mild
temperatures, in spite of several scorching afternoons in a row and a
sweltering forecast for later in the day. We checked to see if
breakfast on the deck seemed tolerable. That’s when the blessings
began to flood over us.
First, Although the rising sun peeked under the canopy of shade
offered most of the day by the gingko tree, a filtering haze, then a
puffy cloud held the temperature nicely within our comfort zone. Most
mornings the intense sun makes the table too hot for comfortable
dining, especially with a hot cup of coffee. This Saturday morning was
a delightful mix of sun, natural shade, a slight breeze, and a
generally inviting summer morning at treetop level in God’s gorgeous
creation.
Second, we decided to have blueberry pancakes for breakfast,
out on the deck. These would not be just any Aunt Jemima blueberry
pancakes, though. These would feature blueberries fresh from our own
blueberry bushes, visible in our yard from the deck. We had no
blueberry crop at all the past two years, due to drought and a late
killing freeze. This year, we thanked God all through the Spring for
adequate rain, moderate temperatures, and prolific blossoms that
promised an abundant blueberry harvest. Blueberries are one of God’s
nicest creations, growing on bushes that serve as beautiful hedge
plants, with magnificent scarlet displays of foliage in the Fall, and
sweet blueberries to eat. Picking them from our own yard is an extra
blessing. We thank God for a fine crop this year, and we will enjoy
blueberries from the freezer on harsh winter days to come.
We were reveling in God’s blessings of the day and the
blueberries when the further reminder of God’s care began to play out
before us. Several days ago, my wife, Sherron, spotted a robin family
in the branches of the gingko tree. Their nest is cradled in a fork of
a branch that extends far over the deck. A branch above offers shade
and cover for the nest. One morning, Sherron saw a parent robin land
in the tree, with a worm dangling from its beak. Her viewing angle and
the sunlight filtering through the leaves backlit a baby robin beak
bobbing up to receive the wriggly breakfast. She watched similar
feedings over the next several days. While we were having our
exquisite blueberry pancakes out on the deck, she saw a baby robin hop
up onto the top step of the stairs to the deck. It was still fluffy,
its feathers not yet fully developed. The little robin looked
confused. It flexed its legs several times, finally hopping a step or
two. After a few minutes, it issued a plaintive call – not yet a robin
song. Sherron said that the baby robin seemed to spot us, studying us
carefully. Finally, the little bird appeared to devise a plan. The
robin hopped over to the edge of the deck, between two of the railing
stiles. With a clear path out over the yard, the robin took one more
hop, and launched itself into the air. Sherron lost sight of its
flight – but she didn’t find the little bird crumpled on the ground,
either.
A little later, Sherron walked down the sidewalk away from the
deck, and heard some fluttering underneath an azalea. As she
approached the azalea, she heard the plaintive call again. Suddenly,
she found herself dive-bombed by the protective parent robins, both of
them squawking warnings not to bother their apparently reluctant flier.
We monitored the little robin’s plight through the day, hoping that we
might sight it back in the gingko branches, but we never did. Sherron
had another encounter with the dive-bombing parents near our fig tree
later that morning. We were thankful that our yard is fenced, and that
the young robin seemed to be safe, watched over by two anxious parents.
We hoped that the grace of flight would come quickly to the little
bird.
As the drama unfolded, I recalled Jesus’ apparent appreciation
for birds, and for his Father’s care for them. Jesus called his
hearers’ attention to birds and other parts of God’s splendid creation
numerous times in his teaching ministry. Once, the crowd clamoring to
hear Jesus was fretting about everything from economic security, to
family provisions, to how they could receive God’s eternal blessings.
Times were hard, and they equated God’s blessings with having nice
clothes, plenty of food for their families, and other material
possessions. Jesus gently chided them for their high anxiety,
illustrating the abundance of God’s blessings and his loving care by
references to God’s care for the birds in his creation:
“What is the price of five sparrows? A couple ofpennies? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. {7} And the very
hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more
valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows….” {22} Jesus said to
his followers, “So I tell you, don’t worry about the food you need to
live, or about the clothes you need for your body. {23} Life is more
than food, and the body is more than clothes. {24} Look at the birds.
They don’t plant or harvest, they don’t have storerooms or barns, but
God feeds them. And you are worth much more than birds.” (Luke 12:6-7
NLT, 22-24 NCV)
God demonstrates his sustaining grace all around us. We can be
spared from much of our worry and anxiety, if we will only stop our
frantic scrambling for “just a little more,” and simply relax in the
care he provides for all creation. The little robin in our yard
matters to God; how much greater is God’s care for us and how
overwhelming are his blessings for us each day!
Of course, not every day begins with such delights as our
Saturday breakfast on the deck. Some days are shrouded in storm clouds
from even before the time your feet hit the floor in the morning.
Anxieties of every variety – economic, relational, work-related,
national and international, spiritual, and more – grip us and threaten
to drain the life out of us. We rush through the day in a futile
attempt to take care of everything ourselves. We may not take the time
to notice how marvelously well God takes care of his beautiful
creation. But be still … breathe in that fragrant smell … hear the
birds singing praise to God … see the grandeur of flowers … feel
the warmth of the sun and the cool of the breeze. Calm your restless
spirit, remembering to ” Give all your worries and cares to God, for he
cares about what happens to you.” (1 Peter 5:7 NLT) If God cares about
our little robin, the faulty flier, he certainly cares about your
needs.
Are you having a great day today, with delightful surprises
continuing to give you opportunities to give thanks to God? Are you
remembering to take time to enjoy God’s blessings and care, and to be
thankful? If the day has you fretting and full of anxiety, have you
listened for a bird’s song, an unexpected joy, an example of God’s
goodness in the world? Take a moment to look for them, letting God
quiet your spirit as you find them – because you can be certain God has
put them there. If anyone asks why a smile suddenly spreads across
your face, tell them a little birdie told you that God cares for
you.
J. Edward Culpepper, Ph.D.
