gift of flight

 

I witnessed a prayer being answered. 

Mama giving a loving push

Faith he could do it.

Fear of the never-seen and unknown.

Beauty of the never-seen and unknown.

Wings of hope taking flight for the first time.

Awe and silent wonder.

Harmonies of praise!

For the past month I’ve heard the new life of baby birds…tuffed titmouse birds.  My daughter made a bird house out of wood at a girl scout camp three years ago.  Dad had hung it on the tree in our backyard, on the side of the house near the screened in porch, but there has never been any birds to make it a home…until this spring.

A few weeks ago, in the prime time to smell honeysuckle, gardenias, see irises blooming and roses awakening, I began to notice a bird flying into that little house many times…in and out, in and out.   I then began to hear a faint chirp, what sounded like many little faint cries of new life. 

As days went on, when I had a little time to sit on the porch to take a deep breath at different parts of the day, or when I was in the Word, or writing, or when our family ate dinner, those chirps would get louder and the mom and dad kept bringing them food.  In and out of that little hole.

I knew the day was near, where we’d have to tie a rope around a tree in our front yard to keep our dog from finding the baby birds as toys.  Their chirps began to sound just the same as their parents’ tweets.  They’d mimic…parent….then baby.

This morning I was out running errands and when I got home, I go to the sunroom to look out the window to see if I see any baby birds on the ground.  I look out and there in that little hole, mama was perched on the outside of the house and baby was sticking its head out the hole!

I grab the camera.

I stand waiting with camera in front of my eye, trigger pushed half-way down to focus and waited. 

Then it happened!  I had asked God to be able to see one of the birds free fall and flutter down for the first time of its life! I witnessed a prayer being answered. To see it lift off with a leap of faith.

A tear of joy and giving-thanks to God rolled down my cheek as I kept snapping shots. 

The baby landed in our natural area right outside beside where I always sit on the porch.

I go to get closer.  I don’t want to scare the baby but I thought if God allowed me to witness this, then He must think it’s OK for me to be able to get up closer so I can get some close-up photos to put in my post!

So, I see this little baby flutter it’s wings.  I see it’s little eyes and beak.  I cannot imagine what thoughts must have been going through it’s mind…awe…wonder or the never-before-seen and unknown world.

After I got some photos, I told myself I need to let mama, papa and baby have some time to themselves so I turn around to go back to the house and there before me is a 5-6 foot long snake. Stretched and slithering towards the bird house.

When it realizes it sees me, it gracefully slides in-between the whicker latice squares that outline the porch and goes underneath the deck.  I ran to get a shovel.  I get back and it beat me.  It was completely under the porch before I got back.  It had retreated.

My nerves are shaking.  Not as much because I’m afraid of the snake but more because I’m scared for the birds.  It was a black snake.  They don’t harm people.  They’re good to have in the neighborhood to keep other rodents and critters we don’t want around at bay. 

But to think what if the snake got those little babies?  Those precious little ones would not get to experience the life of a bird!  I got to hear them grow up, hear their chirps getting louder…see their parents bringing them food constantly…and now their life cut short because of a snake!

Those precious little ones, who didn’t get to experience life, cut short by snake?!

A serpent cut life short for Adam and Eve.  Their life in the garden of Eden was cut short because of the serpent's slithering whispers beckoning God’s beloved to discover knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 3).

I go back in the porch and start writing, but I look out the window again and there in the bird house was yet another baby bird poking its head out the hole.  I grab the camera again, this time run outside closer to the birdhouse and wait. 

And then in not a moment too long, that baby takes its first flight.

I could hardly believe I had watched two baby birds take their first attempt of flying!  I had never witnessed that before in my life.  Why then did I get to see not only one but two?!  And at this time of my life?  This moment?

As I walk back to go in, to my surprise I saw the snake again.  It had come back out to the yard…and this time was not alone.  It had come back with another one on its back and only about a foot smaller than the first.

It had gone back for back up. 

They did not seem to be scared of me at all and quickly headed for the sound of the baby bird calling for its parents who were fluttering over the snakes and squawking at them.

The first baby was in our garden.

The snakes slithered to the garden. 

And once they got to the garden they split up and went two different ways…both towards the baby.  It all happened so quickly!

I quickly followed the sound of the bird’s cry and found it stuck in the little fence that surrounded the garden.  Not even thinking, I reached down to pick up the baby to save its new life!  I didn’t think to look how close the snakes had gotten to me but once I had that baby in my hand, I completely forgot a snake was at my heel.

That baby was precious.  And it was calm.  It didn’t try to get out of my hands and we looked eye to eye.  That moment was a gift.

Then I suddenly remembered the snakes and the big one had disappeared.  Literally.  I couldn’t find it anywhere and I know me having rescued the bird and looking at it was probably only about 10 seconds.  I still to this time have not seen it since. 

I did see the smaller snake though a few minutes later that was going after the other baby bird that had also flown and skipped and hopped its way to the garden area as well. The little bird was in our new blueberry bush.  I kept threatening the snake with the shovel and it slithered under the fence and I haven’t seen it since then as well.

As I write this, I’m almost sick to my stomach  It’s almost churning!.  I’m just praying those little birds will make it…will win the battle over those snakes.

Later that afternoon God helped calm my heart because later when we were in the back yard, we found one of the birds again and it followed my daughter and me as we walked through the yard!  (and of course she wanted to hold it, too)  It made me think…I wonder what this bird thinks.  I was one of the first things it saw when it came out of its house!

My daughter said we were just like the Dr. Seuss book, “Are You My Mommy?”

It stopped hopping when it was on the ground almost underneath its house it had earlier left, and fell asleep.  It was dusk and the night came.  We said a little prayer that the baby will be safe. 

As soon as it was light the next morning, our daughter ran outside to the spot and it was gone.  But across the fence a few trees back we heard and saw those parent birds calling out to its babes and knew they would be OK.

 

Just like that baby bird, just like me, and maybe like you… You and feel  and even see you’re being attacked from more than one side…surrounded with temptations. 

Being tempted.  That is hard to give thanks for…

Who wants to be tempted with lies?  Who wants to feel worried, full of fear, full of harm? 

Who wants to hear a serpent whispering in your ear, “You’re a child of God?  He loves you?  You are righteous?  You are forgiven?”  Satan tries to take away the truth of our identity through Christ….just as he did to Eve.

Reflecting on this whole experience, I think, “Those snakes didn’t scare me away this time even though they have in the past. I was able to overcome that worry and fear and didn’t let it get the best of me.  I didn’t run and hide." 

I wanted to save a life!  And I did it with adrenalin and passion…running through my veins…and making my heart skip a beat.  It had to have been done with trust…

…even though it was just a baby bird I was fighting for.

Baby steps or hops must be taken first but when we trust HIM more every moment, we will strengthen our wings with hope and take flight.

 

#475 I witnessed a prayer being answered.

#476  Mama giving a loving push

#477 Faith he could do it.

#478  Beauty of the never-seen and unknown.

#479  Wings of hope taking flight for the first time.

#480  Awe and silent wonder.

#481  Harmonies of praise!

#482  holding a baby bird

#483  family game night of Dominos

#484  cookie dough ice cream

#485  son made the team!

#486  lightning bugs in back yard

#487  life and science museum with nieces, nephew and my parents

#488  hundreds of butterflies flying all around you

#489  a picnic

#490  watching bears frolic and play

#491  hearing teaching at church from the Word that God wants us to enjoy life…live in-joy!  (Ecclesiastes 5)

#492  hearing the organ while singing “It is well with my soul” at church.