Out On a Limb

Several days ago, as we were out walking, I saw an empty bird’s nest near our walking path that had fallen out of a tree, likely knocked down by the winds and winter weather. Not too many months ago, when the weather was still warm, that nest was a bustling haven, a comfortable and safe home for a mother bird and her little ones. That got me thinking. Just how does the mother bird get the little birds to ever want to leave the nest? Why leave if mom feeds you and keeps you safe, right?

The baby bird knows it needs food to survive. As the hatchling begins to mature the mother will stand farther and farther away from the nest, thus forcing the baby bird to come out of the nest in order to get its food. In the first few attempts the baby bird will likely fall down to the ground, but this repetitive process slowly becomes habit to the bird and it will soon learn that it can stop its fall by flapping its wings. If the baby bird becomes too dependent upon its mother, the mother will eventually push the baby out of the nest, forcing it to learn to fly on its own. But the mother bird is also there to catch the baby bird so it does not bounce off the ground, injuring itself.

It is in the nest that the baby birds are well protected and nurtured by their mother. It is also in the nest that the mother bird teaches the baby birds how to survive. I believe it is this nest image that helps us understand how God both protects us, teaches us how to (and when to) step out in faith, and not simply make the nest our permanent place of residence.

We read these words in Deuteronomy 32:10-11 – “In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carry them aloft.”

Elsewhere in Scripture, we see similar words – “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart” Psalm 91:4. (A rampart is a protective wall around something, to protect and fortify; think of a castle.)

So, today and tomorrow, and every day after that, you can trust God to give you safety and rest under His feathers, to teach you how to fly, and when you feel like you are falling to the ground, to catch you in His wings.  

If you are encouraged by this or any of my writings, you can subscribe to be notified by email when I post something new. To subscribe, click here. Once you put in your email address you will then get an email confirming that you wish to subscribe. Thank you.