A Bird’s Nest, a Bunny and One Big Lesson Over Breakfast

This morning as I began to water the ferns on my front porch, I was pleasantly surprised to find that a bird had laid four eggs in one of them.  Now, lest you be fooled into thinking that I have a green thumb, this bi-weekly watering event is the extent of my plant-nurturing abilities.  In fact, I bought ferns because I was told that ferns are “very forgiving” . . .  indeed, I have come to find that this is true.  I am reminded to water them only when their leaves begin to wither and turn brown . . . and like clockwork, they spruce right back up again after receiving just a little refreshment . . . if only I could be that quick to forgive.

I must confess that I panicked for a minute thinking that I had tainted this bird’s nest – that I had gotten too close to the eggs and the mother would abandon them.  I had a reason to fear this, which brings me to a somewhat random, but nonetheless relevant side story . . .

When I was growing up, my dad always tried to find ways to introduce the miracle of life to my brothers and I.  For example, one time he woke us up in the middle of the night to watch my bunny give birth.  I was mortified.  My sweet dad thought it would be a tender moment in which we could all recognize how God allows life enter the world.  Much to his dismay, I was petrified of what I saw, cried in sheer terror, hid behind him, and begged to go back to bed.  Frankly, after that night, I wanted nothing to do with my bunny rabbit – ever again.  So much for the teachable moment, huh!?

Fast forward to middle school . . . my dad always put a couple of bird houses in our front yard during the spring months so that birds could build their nests, and we could watch the process of nest-building/egg hatching/bird-feeding/babies leaving the nest.  It always became really exciting when the “little birdies” opened their eyes, grew some feathers, and began to chirp loudly, because that meant it was almost time for them to leave.  My dad would tell us: 

“Now ya’ll watch, because that momma bird is going to teach those babies how to fly soon.” 

Since we were homeschooled (yes, I was homeschooled), we had plenty of time to watch and wait.  It was really fun for our family and yielded much less drama than watching my rabbit give birth.

There was one problem with the bird’s nests every spring, though – namely, my disobedience.  For some reason, I was fascinated with wanting to feed the birds myself.  Forget the momma bird – I wanted in on the action.  I distinctly remember my dad telling us not to get more than a few feet away from the nest, because if the momma bird smelt our scent, she would abandon the babies.  Regardless, I would dig up worms and feed the birds myself.  A couple days would go by, and my dad would have a question from me:  “Liz, did you feed the birds after I told you not to?”  This was a lose-lose situation for me;  my dad knew full well what I had done.  Not only had I disobeyed, but I had also killed the baby birds (and thereby stripped my entire family of the joy of watching them learn to fly).  I would always try to come up with some absurd excuse about how I didn’t think the babies were getting enough to eat, and how I needed to feed them.  Ridiculous – my dad saw right through it.

My disobedience on this matter came to a screeching halt one day when my dad told me he wanted me to come out to the front yard with him.  He took me to the bird house and asked me to look inside for a minute.  There they were:  four little dead birds with their beaks wide open.  The image is forever etched in my memory.  My dad explained that they were dead because I had disobeyed.  As you can imagine, that was a pretty effective lesson, and I still fear getting closer than ten feet to any bird’s nest.  I told someone earlier today that I feel this enormous weight of responsibility to all the baby birds in the world.  I assure you that no one will find me digging up worms and feeding these birds on my front porch.  No way.  I might even start entering my home through a window just to be safe. 

After I discovered the nest this morning, I decided to hang the fern baskets back up and simply mist them with the water hose.  While I was watering, I watched this momma bird frantically fly from one tree to another all around my front yard, watching the nest everywhere she was.  She was insanely protective of those eggs (and rightly so . . . maybe her relatives in Tennessee had warned her about me).

Later on in the morning, I was eating my breakfast and watching the bird settle back into the nest to protect her eggs.  Incidentally, I had an Indelible Grace CD playing throughout my house.  The song playing at the time was “How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds” and the third verse says:

Dear Name, the rock on which I build,
My shield and hiding place,
My never failing treasury, filled
With boundless stores of grace!

The Lord has taught me much in the last few years about His protection over our lives.  He truly is our shield (Psalm 27) and we are only truly safe when we are found in Him.  Reflecting on those words and watching that mom safely cover those eggs this morning was a really sweet picture of the Lord’s protection over my life.  Now, the analogy breaks down, because God will not abandon us if we are touched by an outsider (Psalm 94:14).  However, He is our protector, provider and warrior.  He is our loving Father who tenderly cares for our needs. 

One final observation from that nest this morning is how deep down into the fern the nest was built.  In fact, just by looking at the plant day after day, I never knew the eggs were there.  Nests aren’t usually built in public places where they can be disturbed.  You won’t see a bird’s nest being built on top of a car, in the middle of a parking lot or over the handles of a bicycle.  Birds find a small space that is hidden to build their nests and keep their eggs away from prey – and then they cover the eggs to keep them safe.

Hear my cry, O God,
listen to my prayer;
from the end of the earth I call to you
when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I,
for you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy.  –Psalm 61:1-4

May we find comfort today in the truth that the Lord hides us deep in His sufficient, protective grasp and then upholds us with His righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10).