Lessons From a Cockatiel, Part 2
Today's mini-sermon is the second of a three
part series that will be appearing in this week's Sunday and Thursday editions
of the Answers2Prayer Newsletter. These are inspired by recent happenings that
involved Rocket, our beautiful, Latino Cockatiel. In Saturday's newsletter you
discovered with us that what we had always thought of as a male bird had laid an
egg! Overnight, "Rocket" had become "Rockette"!
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose." (Rom 8:28-29)
As Rocket's first day of motherhood progressed, it became apparent that she was
taking her job very seriously! Every time we passed by her cage, (Which was
about twice a minute! Her cage was right in the center of activity in our
home!) she flew at us, hissing and pecking through the bars of her cage. I felt
so sorry for the poor creature, and I determined to move her cage as soon as I
had a chance.
My "chance" didn't come until late that evening. After the kids were in bed, I
unhooked the cage and moved it to a ceiling hook on the far wall of the living
room, away from everyday traffic. I also took the opportunity to put some
nesting material and some crushed oyster shell into the cage in order for her to
have a ready supply of Calcium. But little "Rockette" didn't thank me for my
efforts at all! She proceeded to "attack" the dish of crushed oyster shells. If
I hadn't rescued it, she would have pitched it off the side of the cage.
Then she began trying to throw the nesting material out of the cage, all the
while squawking as if she were being taken to the chopping block. She seemed to
have absolutely no concept of the fact that I was trying to help her. Instead,
she became so stressed out over it all that she ended up temporarily losing
interest in her egg, totally ignoring it for the next 18 hours. (Right up until
the time she laid egg number two! Then the "nesting" instinct again took over.
She laid 5 before it was all said and done!)
Have you ever had anything bad happen to you? If you have, then perhaps you
relate to what Rocket was going through. Maybe it was someone who "interfered"
in the way you raised your kids. Maybe you were "forced" into a move that you
didn't really want to make. Or perhaps you are fighting health problems,
and there is this guy at work who REALLY GETS ON YOUR NERVES! How often haven't
we all said, "Guess God wasn't listening to my prayers today! If He had been, He
would have saved my home!" Or "He would have gotten that 'busy body' out of my
life!" Or "Why did God allow me to get sick? Why doesn't He answer MY prayers??"
My friends, just like my cockatiel completely misunderstood my efforts to help
her, we often misunderstand the things that happen in our lives. We often blame
God for things that we might be better off thanking Him for. We forget the
all-important promise: Rom 8:28-29: "And we know that in all things God works
for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his
purpose." No matter what calamity has come our way, God is still in charge.
And He has promised to make something beautiful out of the "bad" things that
seem to come our way. In fact, James tells us that we are allowed to suffer
trials so that we may develop patience! James 1:2-5: "Consider it pure joy,
my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the
testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work
so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
Wouldn't it be better to simply place our faith in an All-Knowing, All-Powerful
God, ever trusting that He is in control and what we are going through is what
we might have chosen for ourselves, if we could see the end from the beginning?
Just as Rocket would have been a much happier bird if she had trusted me through
the rocky time of moving her cage to a more quiet spot, we would also have much
more joyful lives if we trusted God enough to let Him be in charge, even when
things don't seem to go our way!
Father God, may I always blindly place me faith in you, especially when things
are going wrong, ever trusting that you make all things beautiful, in Your time!
Please see Thursday's edition of the Answers2Prayer newsletter for part 3.
Love in Christ,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart,