bird mama

We are studying birds in our science curriculum this year.

Did you know there are bird-mamas that leave their young before the babies can fly?

They migrate on before they have seen their chicks prove their strength of survival.

Those babies do survive though, they lean out of the nest, flapping wings, and miraculously follow their mamas to their southern winter homes. There is no scientific explanation for their knowledge of how to prepare for their long journey, or for their inherent wisdom regarding the direction their mamas took.

They fly and navigate life instinctively.

I am not enough like these birds.

Another bird, the Arctic Tern flies approximately 44,000 miles every year, migrating from the North Pole to the South Pole and back again.

The Arctic Tern is constantly seeking a polar summer, spending eight months every year pursuing long, sunny days.

Always flying, constantly in motion, longing for a home far away, it does almost everything airborne.

I am far too similar to this Arctic Tern.

Science can bring you to your knees sometimes.

I look at the Boys and the Lady, and I wonder when I will trust that God in them is able.

When will I admit to myself that hovering and explaining, preening, and reminding will not be enough to teach their souls the vast greatness of their God?

Can I ever sit back, relax, and watch them stumble along as God speaks and draws them?

I could call this obsessive mothering faithful parenting. But it's not that at all. It's fear that they will not submit and love Jesus as I have chosen to do.

I look at my Arctic self and I ache for the home I pursue. Peace and comfort always seem just beyond the hill ahead. I am tired and worn out, doing so much while striving for a distant summer.

I could call this obsessive migrating pursuing God. But it isn't. God is already right here with me.

I am pursuing a life that fits into my own definition of comfortable.

Ah, yes, perhaps these two problems are connected. A lack of trust will devour the corners of your soul, eating its way into every part of you.

Jesus taught about birds, too. He said it is God Himself who provides all they need. Then He said this in Matthew 8:

"So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Trust is a nest for the broken hearted, promising that the powerful God we love has our lives cradled in His gracious hands.

Today I fly straight for the nest He has waiting for me. Thank God for our science curriculum, bird-mamas, and His loving truth.