Just Turn Toward the Light
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. John 8:12 (NKJV)
There is a unique sound when a bird hits the window and one of two things will happen. Either it will be done or it will shake its little head, get reoriented and fly off shortly. Cathy Mayfield (All God’s Creatures) shares her experience with a sweet little bird.
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Smack! Oh, No! How well I knew that sound. I raced to the couch by the front window, hoping the bird that hit the glass had flown off and not landed on the ground.
Alas, it lay on six inches of fresh snow. I begged my husband, Kevin, to go see if it could be saved. Minutes went by as he found boots and pulled on his coat, minutes when I stayed glued to the window to make sure nothing else happened to the bird. We had several stray cats around.
When I saw Kevin cradle it in his hands, I hurried out on the porch and found a small box we could lay it in. I wanted to bring it to the warmth, feed it, and do anything to help, but Kevin insisted it would be okay outside. He positioned the box to face the wall of the house for protection from the wind.
Every few minutes, I went back out to check on it. I talked to it, urged it to get up, to get better. I prayed for God to restore it to health, as I’d been praying for my recent bout with anxiety. If that little bird could just fly, I thought, it would be okay. Many minutes went by, and although the bird eventually moved around a bit, it didn’t try to fly.
The next time I went outside, the bird was standing in the box. I knelt close to check if I could see anything broken on its wings. To do so, I needed to turn the box toward me, so I did. And just like that, the bird flapped its wings and took off. All it needed was for me to position the box so the bird could see the light.
Maybe, if I just turn like that little bird toward the Light, my anxiety would take flight too.
Loving Father, thank You for Your tender care. You are aware of every living thing on this earth and Your attention to detail is beyond comprehension. Help us to turn to You more often. AMEN.
Photo: Michael Johnston