Thank God for the Birds

Posted on February 20, 2022 by Grandma's Ramblings

Outside our patio window we have bird feeders. I love to watch all the beautiful birds and think of what a creator our God is.

He could have made one kind of bird. Checking National Geographic and various other sites, I found that it is estimated there are between 10,000 to 18,000 different species of birds. Wow!

Birds are some of the most successful vertebrate animals on earth and are found from the North Pole all the way to the South Pole and everywhere in between.

While I love all the birds we see outside our window: cardinals, blue jays, junos, robins, my favorite are the doves. Their “cooing” sound to me is so peaceful. I love to watch them as they walk around the yard. To me, they appear to waddle as they walk. Since I have arthritis very bad in my knees and one leg is shorter than the other, I also waddle. So I laugh as I watch them. I love their grey coloring with touches of black and white.

Doves mate for life. However, their life expectancy is small – only one to two years. Great parents they both feed their new babies. They feed the babies “crop milk.” This food is secreted by the parent’s crop lining and regurgitated to the babies.

Doves have been used for thousands of years as symbols for harmony, peace and love. The ancient Egyptians cultivated them and later the Romans.

Doves appear in the Bible. Noah released one out of the ark to see if it could find dry land. Solomon compared his beloved to a dove and wrote about how sweet her voice was. The book of Leviticus listed many burnt offerings. The doves were used in offerings that were regarded as voluntary offerings representing surrender and commitment to God. When Jesus was baptized by John the heavens opened and a dove descended on Jesus. Bible scholars believe this was a symbol of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus sent His disciples out to witness of the Kingdom of God he told them to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”

Doing research on my favorite bird, I was surprised to find that there are different species within the class of doves. The one I am enjoying is the mourning dove. This bird can be found from southern Canada through the lover 48 states and even in Mexico.

Other doves include the Barbary dove found in New Zealand.

The Mexican dove.

The purple-winged ground dove found in South America.

(Thanks to Pixabay.com for pictures of the doves.)

In Good Times and Bad

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Grandma's Ramblings

Our country is experiencing a crisis most of us never thought possible. The panic that has caused stores to run out of toilet paper, hand sanitizers and eggs seems a little crazy. Yet the fear that we will not have enough – that we will get sick – and how will we pay the bills if we can’t work – that is real.

As a retired woman I do not face the difficulties many do. I do not have to go to work, I do not have to worry about not getting a pay check, I have no worries about child care for my children. Since it is just my husband and I our food supply should last a long time.

Still – a post I saw on FB this morning did make me laugh – but also make me realize I do need to take precautions.

That moment when you are worried about the elderly….then you realize you are the elderly.

Looking back at our country’s history we can see we have had tough times before. To name just a few:

World I and the Spanish flu
World II
the depression
Polio scare
9/11

We have always pulled together as a nation. Although we do see some craziness as a few people have been fighting over supplies at Costco and other stores, I have seen so many reaching out to support others.

My own church is putting together food items to pass out this week for those who might need them. Teachers are working on line setting up places for children at home to continue with their studies. Medical professionals are putting their own lives at risk to take care of the sick. Truck drivers and workers stocking grocery store shelves are working hard to keep up with the demand.

Again a post on FB says it all:

And all of a sudden, farmers, truck drivers and those who wear jeans to work are the most important people in the world.

At Wal-Mart yesterday I saw a woman struggling to count out her money to pay for her groceries. It was clear she did not have enough to pay for it all. Before anyone could say anything, the woman in front of me asked the cashier how much the customer lacked. Told she was short $25, she pulled out her credit card and said “I’ll take care of it.”

So – hopefully this crisis will continue to bring out the best in us all.

Because I have hope in the goodness of the average American, I do not despair. But even more my hope rests in the Lord. At 72, I have had my share of problems but this song states exactly how I face this new difficulty in our land.

I pray you have also found it to be true and that your hope will rest ultimately not in our government but in our Lord.

Made for Community

Posted on January 20, 2019 by Grandma's Ramblings

Reading the story of creation recently I was struck once again by the one thing that God said was not good. Each day He created something and then said it was good. Until the sixth day when he created man. He stood back, looked at the highlight of all His creation and noted that there was something not good about it.

Man was all alone. God said:

“It isn’t good for the man to live alone. I need to make a suitable partner for him.”

That verse has been used many times to teach that marriage is designed of God and that a person is somehow incomplete without a spouse.

While I agree God was clearly establishing the marriage relationship, I think it was about much more than that.

God was establishing our need for community – for others. Not just a spouse but the many other relationships that would grow from this unit of man and woman.

children
aunts/uncles
cousins
neighbors

In other words, community.

We were designed to need others.

Sometimes living in community can hurt. We have all had family, friends, co-workers who have hurt us. After being hurt our natural tendency is to withdraw, to decide to not trust others again. But when we do that we are living in opposition to the design God has for us.

One trait most Americans highly value is our independence. Being self-sufficient often is preferred beyond other abilities. We feel “I don’t need you” or even “I don’t need anybody.”

But is that really true?

God said it was not good that man should be alone. Again, I think He was talking about more than a marriage. If that is all it was, then what were His plans for those who do not marry. Would it then be good that they were alone?

Jesus spoke about building the church. Almost all of the New Testament is addressed either to a church group or a leader of a church. It is not a book written for independent relationships.

The writer to Hebrews said:

“…let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another….

Today as I met with my small group after morning worship I realized how thankful I am that Jesus established the church. Moving to a new state where we had no friends, after less than four months I have many new friends. Where did I meet them? At church.

Since church is made up of imperfect people I have been hurt by the church. I have had some terrible experiences with people from church. But those bad times are far outweighed by the blessings and wonderful relationships the church has given me.

When we live isolated from others, both we and others are poorer. We lose the benefits of the gifts their friendship could bring us – and we rob them of the benefits our gifts could bring to them.

When I think of this need for community I am reminded of one of my daughters who was afraid to love again after she had experienced a painful hurt. My first husband had been killed in an accident and my daughters had been the ones to find his body. It was a horrific experience for them. When I decided to marry again my daughter told me she would never love the man I was marrying.

Concerned about that statement I asked her why. She said she liked him, was glad I would be happy again. She was not against the marriage. But she was never going to love him because she was never going to allow her heart to be hurt again. If she loved him, he might die and then where would she be?

I assured her she did not have to love him or anyone else. If she shut him or others out of her heart she would probably never experience the terrible loss that death brings. But in the process, she would also shut out all the joy that loving others brings.

Thankfully, she grew to love him and open her heart to love.

Looking back at my life and seeing how much I have moved from place to place I thank God for all the “community” I have experienced and I realize just how much heaven is going to be great when I am reunited with those I have been blessed to call my friends.

Thank God for all those who have filled my life with joy.

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