The Nest

One fine May day, similar to this one, I drove to the local garden shop to pick out my yearly “annuals” to plant around my house. I had decided to hang a planter on my front porch, so I chose one with pretty blossoms and lush green leaves.

Once home, I used a ladder to hang the plant high enough that it wouldn’t collide with the heads of those who unthinkingly strode into its path. Even though I could barely reach it, I could use my long necked watering can to reach in and provide it with nourishment.

I enjoyed the plant for a few weeks, but then to my surprise, I saw a bird flying into and out of the foliage. “How strange!” I thought. I continued to water the plant, but more and more, I would see the bird fussing whenever I approached. As the summer wore on, it became obvious to me that this furry creature was a mother, sitting on her eggs IN MY PLANT! All the more reason to continue to water it.

As time progressed, the mother bird became more and more aggressive, flying at my head every time I would try to get near the plant with my watering can. This didn’t just happen a couple of times. It occurred over and over, until I decided avoidance of this dive bombing creature was healthier for me!

Sadly, the plant dried up, the leaves withered, and in the hot Connecticut summer, the baby birds died. I guess you could say this mother bird committed a “sin against the remedy.” If she had allowed me to continue watering the plant, she would have had a nice shady dwelling for her little ones. Instead, by her own unwise choices, they died.

People can be like this mother bird too. God sends us good things that He designed to build us up, to draw us together as His people, to nourish our young, to be a joy to us. And what do we do? Sometimes, we, like the mother bird, cast these things aside in our human wisdom. Jesus wept over Jerusalem for their unwillingness to accept His good things. In Matthew 23:37-38 we read: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate.

Lord, help us to discern the difference between that which You have sent to enrich our lives with Your grace, and that which would be damaging. Forgive us for shutting out those whom You have sent to bless us and help us to know You better. Help us not to “sin against the remedy” You provide.