Thankfully, the mother bird saw the rat snake before the rat snake saw her.
She was perched on the edge of the nest she had woven in my hanging basket, a wriggling worm dangling from her beak. Ready to drop it into the open mouth of one of her fledglings, she froze, then quickly hopped into the nest. Her squawking babies quieted as she covered them with her outstretched wings. Hunkering down atop her tiny babies, she blended into the foliage until the slithering serpent passed by.
Those babies may have been newly hatched, but they knew something I often forget—that danger is an invitation to trust. As my friend and fellow author Nan Jones says, “It’s better to rest than to rustle.”
When danger threatens me or my family, my default setting is to start squawking. I cry. I fret. I call my friends. I wring my hands and wail as if the Philistines were storming the gates. I work myself into an emotional tizzy that would rival a two-year-old’s bedtime meltdown. In the end, I’m left spent and exhausted.
On other days, when my heart is full of God’s Word and I’ve spent time in prayer, I react to a threat much differently. Like the baby birds in my geranium, I seek the shadow of my heavenly Father’s protective wings and rest quietly, trusting He will care for me.
How do you react when something scary threatens you?
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)
Love the analogy! Great reminder for those stressful, challenging times. Thanks for sharing your words of wisdom.