Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Look up!

The sun glistened on the fresh beads of morning dew as I walked towards the little white campus church at Uchee Pines. I was thinking of how glad I am for my weekly Sabbath rest. My life is always busy and sometimes I feel like I don't get enough time to spend with God. Sometimes I get so focused on the daily round of duties and the little frustrations of life that I forget to look up to God for strength to do His biddings.

A noisy squawking caught my attention as I passed the gardens. "The birds are fighting over worms or a nesting spot perhaps," I mused. But when I stepped closer to see, I saw two gray mockingbirds were actually caught in the chicken wire enclosure around a little tree. The birds were frantically flying at the little holes in the mesh, scolding and pecking at each other as they rammed their heads in and out of the holes. The holes were almost big enough, but not quite. 

"Oh the silly birds!" I thought. Why can't they look up? Don't they remember how they got down here? Can't they just return the way they came?

Trying to help, I bent the top of the wire over a little, trying to show them their only way to freedom. For a while nothing happened. Some minutes passed and finally the birds became tired. Going forward was fruitless. Finally one bird shot a glance upwards and with a triumphant chirp she shot up into the sky. Her partner soon followed, after which they both flew to a powerline nearby to recover from their scary experience.

As I neared the church, I began to ponder the little nature lesson I had just witnessed. Those birds are a lot like me. They were so focused on their goal--to go forward in life, to accomplish their tasks, to be victorious, that they had failed to spend time doing the only thing that would help them--to look up!

The Lord Jesus said in reference to the trials at the end of the world, "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." Luke 21:28


My friends, look up! Your redemption draweth nigh!
 

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