In Matthew 10:28-31, Jesus tells us, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid of God, who can destroy both body and soul in hell. For only a penny you can buy two sparrows, yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father’s consent. As for you, even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth much more than many sparrows!”
WHAT a great comfort! Just yesterday, I saw this amazing truth in action. While mowing our front lawn (with mulching action engaged), I was passing near a big pine along the west side of our home, when I thought I saw a small scrap of gray paper. Figuring the mower would make short work of it, I continued toward the small gray item. However, as I neared it, something inside me said to stop – and I did. Just inches away from the stray “paper”, I turned off the mower and knelt down. A bird! A tiny, fledgling, not yet old enough to fly.
It tore at my heart. This small baby had probably stood on the edge of the nest waiting for his parents and fallen to the hard ground. I sighed, preparing to remove the dead bird from the lawn.But to my amazement, I saw it breathe.
Now, I don’t know what others might have done, but my heart couldn’t stand to “dispose” of a breathing creature. I looked around for a nest, but I didn’t see one. I waited and watched for the return of the parents, but none came. Had the parents abandoned the site? What had happened here?
After about an hour, I decided for action. I prepared a soft nest of dried grass in a small basket with a moveable handle. The bird moved slightly as I lifted him into the nest, and he seemed grateful. What to feed him? We had a bit of ground beef in the fridge, so I mixed it with some canned milk and began to feed the bird with a small tube feeder we’d used for puppy medicine. It worked! The baby took a little food then slept. A short while later, I touched him, and his beek opened wide. More feedings and naps followed.
Last night, out of fear a prowling cat or other predator might find him, Derek and I hung the basket/nest from a shepherd’s hook (how appropriate – Jesus is the Great Shepherd after all). I prayed for that little baby as if it were my own, and this morning I was overjoyed to learn he’d not only survived the night but was chirping for food!
Little “Fledge Hammer” has received his morning feeding of warmed ground beef mixture, and now he’s sleeping again. No matter what happens to him, I believe he’s in God’s strong hands.And so are we.
UPDATE: As of this morning (May 18), Fledge flew away. He spent awhile on the edge of his little basket “nest” then got brave and flew! Yesterday, he worked on preening those feathers and practiced flying a couple of times, so we’re not surprised he took his solo opportunity this morning. We’re just so proud! Our boy made it! Praise God!
SECOND UPDATE: Fledge had a big day yesterday. Our neighbor’s daughter rushed to our door yesterday afternoon and told me a bird that looked like Fledge was just sitting in their backyard. I ran over there and – sure enough – little Fledge sat on the neighbor’s playset, looking like he’d had a rough morning. I had just watered the grass, so God helped me find a big worm, which we fed to Fledge. He chomped it down and took a long nap in his “nest”.Later on, after Nicole came home, she and I heard a female Robin calling to Fledge. We put him on a nearby mulberry branch (he’s learned to perch with the best of them!), and the female brought him food right there on the branch! God’s wonderful mercy in action! We kept watching from a distance, and then noticed a nest of small robins in a nearby pine tree. (The very pine near the spot where I’d found Fledge on the ground!)
Nicole’s taller than I am, so she used a long stick to place Fledge (holding on for dear life with his little toes!) onto the high pine branch close to the nest. The mother Robin had a fit, but she settled down when she realized what we were doing.
Now, Fledge is with his family again, and he must have some interesting stories to tell! God is good!
