Be the Bird!

(Unsplash: Kevin Cress)

I was cooking dinner when it happened... something hit the deck door window with a bang! Apparently, a red-bellied woodpecker had been feasting at my birdfeeder when something startled it. In its haste to get away, it flew straight into the pane of glass. The force of the collision knocked it to the deck, where it spun around on its back a few times before finally righting itself on the doormat. There it sat, trying to gather itself… and I knew the next few minutes would tell if it would make it or not.

At first it didn’t look so good. His head leaned forward, his beak parted slightly, almost touching the ground, his eyes closed. I went on with my cooking, watching and praying. He seemed to be just sitting there silently, gathering his resources.

Soon there were telltale signs of life. The head lifted a little higher, the beak opened and closed a couple of times. A few more minutes passed and then his eyes opened and he appeared to be more aware of his surroundings. Moments later he was twisting that neck that I feared had been broken, cocking his head in the direction of the birdsong to his left and right.

Does this sound familiar?

Maybe you, too, were happily living your life when you received some news that hit you smack in the face and suddenly turned your life upside down, sending you spinning. But you righted yourself, absorbed the blow, and now are gathering your resources, trying to recover from the shock of it all. I think it’s these first moments that are so telling in what the outcome will be. And what should our response be in moments like these?

“Be still and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10 NLT).

Maybe that's what these initial days are about... a chance to remember Whose you are. To regroup, physically, mentally and spiritually. To open your eyes to the support team around you. To cock your head to listen to the voice of God talking to you.

That woodpecker eventually lifted itself off that mat and flew back to the life it loves.

So will you.