Leaving the Nest
Our back yard is pretty quiet. The swing set and the sandbox are long gone, and the bikes, wagon, and miscellaneous toys no longer clutter the space near the garage. The neighbor’s dog who noisily expressed his opinion from the other side of the fence is no longer keeping watch. And yet, if you sit quietly in the shade or look out the window in air-conditioned comfort, there’s a great deal of activity. We now have a bird playground, with a variety of young’uns venturing out into the world of a modest-sized residential yard.
It’s been so entertaining to watch the wren family — parents almost never stopping their rapid flitting about, chattering, chirping, and twittering away at the young who are a little more careful as they explore the lower branches of the maple tree. The goldfinches with their neon yellow and inky black markings come to the feeder accompanied by smaller, less colorful versions of themselves. The cardinal family has a couple of additions, as does the catbird, and a smaller mourning dove appeared just the other day.
Well, this isn’t a bird-watchers’ column, but watching our feathered friends and their offspring growing up did provide a theme for this week’s devotion. “Leaving the nest” generally describes that step toward independence when young adult children move out of the family home. However, there are other nests as well — the place where you feel most comfortable might be a town or neighborhood, a workplace, or any environment that includes relationships and connections.
But throughout the twists and turns of life, we may find ourselves pushed out of that cozy nest. Everyone faces a major challenge at some time, whether a job is eliminated or there are layoffs, a business fails, a marriage breaks up, an illness or accident takes a loved one — each of us can fill in the blank from our own life experience. Even though friends and family may encourage and support us, there are times of feeling terribly alone.
In the Letter to the Romans, Paul speaks of the persecution they are enduring, the fears and conflicts that surround them, and he encourages them with a most powerful statement of faith:
“What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (8:31, 38-39)
Of course we worry about the unknown, feel anxious about the future, but we are assured that nothing can separate us from God’s love, and therein lies our strength. We can look forward to opportunities to grow, to learn, and to experience, realizing these are truly gifts from God. We may not fly gracefully or sit on a branch without wobbling, but he is there to steady us and get us going in the right direction.
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers