Just the other day my attention was turned to a
beautiful sight: The starlings were back! And though it was early April and the
temperatures were still dipping below freezing at night, they were already
beginning to nest in the posts that mark the corners of our wooden deck.
The starlings began this habit a few years ago. That first year, we had two
separate families of birds raising their young in two of the corner posts. That
year, only one nest of babies survived. A neighbourhood cat found the other nest
and moved aside the flower pot that covered the top of the post. There were no
survivors. We were sure that the surviving family of starlings would never
return to these deadly grounds, but it was not so. They returned each year with
a few of their friends, and last year, every one of our eight posts hosted a
family of starlings. Naturally, we purchased some heavier flower pots, ones that
we hoped the savage cat would be unable to move aside . . .
This reminded me of Matt 6:26: "Look at the birds of the air…" (NIV)
How much we can learn from birds!
This past year, I've been facing my own kind of nightmare. My own mother has
been invaded by a vicious fear caused by her recent diagnosis of Alzheimer's and
Lewy Body. As she lives on the other side of the planet, my first thought was to
bring her over to Canada, the land of hockey and abundant snow. The only
hindrance to this dream was immigration!
The only other option was to place her in a nursing home in the old country.
These, however, were overflowing with people and each sported its own long
waiting list.
All these troubles caused something unanticipated in my health: my sleeping
patterns went crazy. Even though I was taking sleeping pills every night, I
would wake up in the middle of the night and be unable to go back to sleep. In
fact, though I wasn't immediate aware of this, it would be ardent fear gripping
my heart each night that was keeping me awake.
But this didn't make sense! I am a Christian! Believers are not supposed to have
any fear!
This lasted several months, until the day it occurred to me that I wasn't
putting my faith in Jesus. I realized that faith and love cannot coexist. The
Scriptures were clear on that!
"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…" (1 John 4:18 NIV)
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a
sound mind." (2 Tim 1:7 NKJV)
I recognized right then that I hadn't been learning the lessons that the
starlings had been trying for years to teach me: I hadn't yet fully learned, in
my soul, that Jesus is much greater than any of the problems we encounter: "The
one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (1 John 4:4 NIV)
Although I had been praying passionately, I had been lured by my circumstances
and I hadn't fully given Jesus my problems. I began claiming Matt 11:28 "Come to
me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (NIV). I
begged Jesus to help me to not take my worries back out of His hands (a
speciality of mine!). I then realized that I must stop trying to force the issue
with immigration.
Guess what happened the first night I did this?
I slept through the night, and I felt thoroughly refreshed in the morning. And,
even better, I haven't had a fitful night since!
Interestingly, two days later, my mom was offered a place in a reputable nursing
home in the old country. A real miracle! But what can you expect when you
worship the Miracle Maker!
"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the
Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in
whom I trust." (Ps 91:1-2 NIV)
What happens to those who find shelter in the Most High?
"You will not fear the terror of night…" (Ps 91:5 NIV)
"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than
they?" (Matt 6:26 NIV)
Come on over! I may still have a nesting post available!
P. S. Choose love! Tell fear to beat it! We are indeed victorious in Christ!
(See 1 Cor 15:57)
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.