Carefree as a Bird
I am not a bird watcher nor a bird enthusiast. My neighbor however is. She frequently feeds them and finds great joy in them. I personally couldn’t tell you a mockingbird from a warbler (I had to look up how to spell that). I just identify birds by their colors. I like to see them come and they are quite inspirational to watch. I’ve just never delved that far into it to figure out which birds I’m looking at.
One thing I have noticed is they don’t seem to have the worries that we do. Not that they don’t face adversity, but they don’t appear to sit around in their nests discussing how their kids lives may end up or if they will be able to make their nest payment. Maybe their chirping to each other is a discussion about how to keep the sun up longer or about how they wish it would rain to bring out the worms…I just don’t know – but I doubt it.
There is a momma bird that comes by daily to gather food for herself. I assume she is ensuring her own health and well-being so that she will be able to provide for her young. After she is satisfied, she then begins to hunt food for her babies. She takes care of herself first. (Is this selfish? I don’t think so. It’s wise and natural. I doubt her social media friends on Instabird will condemn her for it out of jealousy.) She makes many trips back and forth from the ground to the safety of her nest. (When she gets to the nest, she doesn’t have to post it on BirdBook or check-in to prove she made it.) Most of the time she returns with nourishment for her babies, but not every time. Each time the little birdies see her they perk up and become vocal. She seems content with her home nest while she is providing. She sings a beautifully happy and melodious song. (She doesn’t take a selfie with her young eating to prove she provides.)
I see the daddy bird wearing his Majestic colors, taking turns from nest to ground, alternating his trips with the mama bird. (He too fed himself before he began to take care of the kiddos. He does not have to post it on SnapBird though because he is strong and confident. He doesn’t need to prove he helped build the nest.) The babies are not vocal when he returns to the nest. Because I’m not an avid birdwatcher and have not studied them, I am not sure why this is. I assume it is out of respect. Sometimes he has food as well for the young but not near as often. I think he is there more for security.
Each morning during this daily ritual, there’s a large brown squirrel that appears. He’s huge, at least the size of a large Tom cat. He wants the same food that these birds need and for some reason he also wants to get to the nest. It is as if they play a game comparing cleverness and whit. He will race the birds from the ground to their nest back and forth. It’s hard to tell if he’s trying to take their babies or if he’s more interested in their food. This squirrel is their adversary and they work together to stop him.
Most mornings are the same song and dance routine. While the birds are alternating from the nest to the ground, they are also alternating which goes after the squirrel. Usually the male bird goes after the squirrel’s tail and he is the first line of defense. If the squirrel is extremely persistent, the momma bird will fly down and attack the squirrel’s head. Most mornings this show of force is enough to make the squirrel go elsewhere to rummage for food. But this morning, that squirrel was not going to budge.
With the daddy bird swooping down and grabbing at the back side of a squirrel, the squirrel fought back. I heard an unfamiliar sound as they encountered each other. The bird with its usual loud warning chirps warning Mr squirrel and the squirrel with a high pitched scream. Who knew squirrels could scream? Anyway it was obvious that the male bird was failing. The momma bird swooped in for the victory blow. Both birds attacked the squirrel at the same time. Then they flew up and back down, grabbing the squirrel and lifting him several inches off the ground. Finally the squirrel gave up and left. He screamed the whole time he was running away. (Chances are really good the squirrel didn’t post his drama on BirdBook either.) High-five birds!
Observing Nature’s little Adventure this morning brought my mind to a very important realization that I often forget. The birds of the air don’t sit around and worry about their troubles. They know what they need to survive and they do it. They started off working together by working separately. In the end, they worked together by focusing on the same thing. They are able to overcome their adversity without sitting around discussing their worries, problems, and trials. They worked together without hesitation because they know that it’s the only way to solve their problem in the end . Scriptures remind us of this:
26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? MATTHEW 6: 26-27
Although this is probably one of the most common verses preached, taught, and shared… it is often the most forgotten. At least I know that I forget it. It is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day. It is easy to only focus on getting by and forget to live. I believe everyone has their own interpretation of purpose and I am not here to say what one person’s purpose is over another. But, I will say that I don’t think anyone’s purpose is to sit around and worry about things. Will worry help you achieve your purpose? Will worry and the anxiety it brings change any circumstance? Will worry bring you happiness or help you fulfill your goals?
If you have forgotten your purpose like I catch myself sometimes doing, maybe it’s worth thinking about a little deeper. Purpose doesn’t mean answering that age old question “why am I here?”.
Purpose is knowing what you want out of life and striving each day toward that goal.
With Love,
Chrissy 😊
