Friday, February 24, 2017

Trying To Help the Heron Mothers (and other moms) With a Spiritual Lesson

Again, NOT A SOUL out on the river but me. I don't get it. Gorgeous day, sunny and warm, and the river was empty. Along the river, the herons were lined up in their nests, claiming their territory. Some sat in very large and lavish nests. Others sat in  nests that only contained a few measly twigs.


Maybe you can tell  the heron's nest on the left is huge. That heron will easily have room for a baby heron. The heron's nest on the right would not hold a squirrel, let alone a nesting heron and her baby.
So I gazed at the nests wondering why the heron on the right was just sitting there. Why was she not gathering sticks and building her nest????

And if we want to really examine some sociological truths...why wasn't the heron on the left (who clearly had more than enough nest than she needed) offering to help poor paltry-nested heron on the right?

I am reminded of two verses. First,

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.1 Timothy 6: 17-19
In other words, if we are blessed with the resources to have a HUGE nest, God who gave us every resource expects us to share.

On the other hand, God also doesn't want us to sit around waiting for our generous neighbor to hand us her nest. Look at this verse:

The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor. Proverbs 21:25

I was up at 5 a.m. yesterday, as I am most days. I  pledged to write a chapter a day in my book-in-progress so my dad can read a new chapter each day to my mom while she is recuperating from her broken hip and arm. Consequently, I have been rising early and immediately working on my book. I write a few hours before the sun is above the tree tops. I am astounded by how quickly my new book is developing. In fact, I may well finish the last chapter today. (So if you haven't read the first two books in the Unlikely Friends series, you better start now. Book Three will be out soon.)

Anyway, I had already worked several hours before I even ate lunch, which gave me guiltless time to race out to the river and kayak. That is how I found myself contemplating the plight of the herons.
"Herons," I told them, "I wake up every day, and the first thing I do is work a little bit on my book since I promised my mom I would send her a chapter a day. And here I am, and in no time at all, my book is almost DONE. Take my advice, you heron on the right with the paltry nest. Don't just sit there thinking you have two months till nesting season so you can just sit on your few twigs and take it easy. If you do a little each day, that nest will grow and you will be ready."

The heron ignored me.

"And you," I said to the heron on the left, "All smug and proud because your nest is far more than you need while all your sister herons around you sit on skeleton nests. If you would lift a finger to help them since you have the time, all of you would develop a thriving heron colony together!"

That heron also ignored me.

Oh well. I did my part. The rest is up to God.

*****************

Along the lines of the principles I outlined to the herons, I work with a wonderful mom who chose life over abortion. She is striving bravely to make the life for her children better and has a great job, and wonderful goals. However, she just lost her car through a fault not her own. If you have a car in working order that you really don't need, please contact me at vickychooseslife@yahoo.com  .
You could truly change the outcome for this little struggling family.

****************
If you want to join me in helping moms choose life on the sidewalks of busy abortion centers. now is your chance! Saturday, 10-1 will be our Cities4Life frontline training session and yours truly will be one of the leaders! Click HERE for details.
****************

And BTW, struggles are an integral part of life. My latest book about facing adversity with an attitude empowered by God is a great read for anyone enduring trials. Purchase HERE.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.