Birds of a Feather Flock Together

Crows! Everywhere! Noisy, obnoxious and greedy. I'm a bird lover, a bird watcher, but there are just some birds that I take for granted I guess. We tend to appreciate the rare and "beautiful" birds, but discount the value of the common species that surround us every day. I never much appreciated crows until we "met" one special bird.

I take the kids to school and park in the same spot each day when I drop them off. We usually get there with a minute or two to wait in the car before it's time to head out into the cold air for the walk to class. As we sit and chat about the weather or what they're doing in school that day, the kids and I have noticed the birds in the area. Some seagulls, and always the crows. I'd heard once that crows are very socially bonded birds, living in family groups. If you see a group of crows, chances are they are relatives. And I know from bird behavior that if a group of birds are engaged in eating or drinking or bathing, you'll generally see one member of the flock perched up high in a look-out position, ready to give the warning cry in case of a predator's approach. So the kids and I have been sitting in the car, watching this crew of crows scavenging the area in front of the school each day, cleaning up all various morsels that have been left behind. We have had a front row seat to their morning breakfasts. One day, I spotted this certain bird who seemed to have something wrong with him. His right foot was all balled up, curled over and he hopped along using it in a sort of way, but never fully laying it down like his other foot. He could fly just fine. He even perched well on the fence or the telephone wire. His family looked out for him, and he returned the favor in the look out position from time to time. He seemed to have no trouble at all eating or doing all the other birdly duties his family did.

I wondered what his story was. How he got to be that way and how he managed to so successfully function and survive. We spot him all the time now and it's reassuring to know he's okay and still out there doing whatever it is that crows do. He's become special to us because we can recognize him by that foot. Otherwise, he would've been just another annoying crow. I root for him now and am inspired by his success. As they say, he's not "disabled", he is "differently abled".

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it..."

Psalm 24:1 (NIV)

As I think about that special crow, I am reminded in my heart about people that I know. People who have something obviously different about them. And then I think, gee, we all have SOMETHING different. Some weakness, some character flaw, some physical issue, some story behind the "why".

Everybody has something.

And I'm trying to keep that in mind when I encounter others.

And we're all special. Special to our Creator who recognizes us. Each one. Individually. Out of the whole flock. He sees us. He knows how we "got that way". He knows how we're doing. How we're getting along. How we're using what He gave us. And how His beauty is made perfect in our weaknesses. I take great comfort in that.

I don't quite understand why we have our "limps". If God is so good, why do bad things happen? But I am fully able to admit my limits and to trust in the goodness of God who loves me. And when I see my fellow bird-brains with their own issues, I will do my best to serve in the look-out position, functioning like a family should. Covering the most vulnerable amongst us.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

Matthew 10:29-31 (NIV)

"You will not succeed by your own strength or power but by My Spirit, says the Lord."

Zechariah 4:6 (NCV)

The message du jour! I saw this verse three times in two days! I love it when that happens! God teaches me in "unit lessons", like a good teacher does. :) Anyway, I am thankful to God for doing a good work in me--that HE will be faithful to complete! I am grateful to him for his Holy Spirit power--HIS GRACE!--to DO what He needs me to do. His word says, "Be careful how you think. Your life is shaped by your thoughts." (Proverbs 4:23) So whatever this applies to in this New Year, I'm ready to move in Him. I'm excited and expect GOOD THINGS!!!

Our Pastor said the other day that weather you say, "I can't" or "I can", you are correct either way. He says, "You get what you expect." And he's right! Our words are containers for power as Joyce Meyer has said. You can use them for good or for poor.

I EXPECT GOD'S FAVOR IN MY LIFE.

I EXPECT GOOD THINGS TO HAPPEN.

I EXPECT TO BE A GOOD FRIEND AND TO HAVE GOOD FRIENDS.

I EXPECT TO GROW SPIRITUALLY THIS YEAR.

I EXPECT TO HAVE GOOD HEATH BOTH PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY.

AND I WILL LOVE THE LORD MY GOD WITH ALL MY HEART, SOUL, MIND & STRENGTH!

Woman Driver

"Set up road signs, put up guideposts. Take note of the highway, the road that you take. Return, O Virgin Israel, return to your towns. How long will you wander, O unfaithful daughter? The Lord will create a new thing on earth--a woman will surround a man."

Jeremiah 31:21-22 (NIV)

This verse has been special to me for several years now. It speaks to me about how important it is to keep a record of your path, to keep track of your progress and development, to never forget the work that God does in your life. Sometimes we think we'll never forget certain lessons or moments, but they do tend to fade with time and I think it's so key to mark them down when they happen so that we don't forget and we won't have to relearn important things. Set up road signs, put up guide posts, take note of the highway.....Sounds to me like all this is not just for our own benefit, but to help future generations as well. If I keep good accounts, then maybe someone else can learn from what I went through. Life is a highway, the song goes.

The wandering part of this verse spoke to me about using my gifts for God. For a long time, I would ramble around going, "I know I should write something, but what???" Well, I am still working on that, but at least this blog is helping me get a start on that and exercising some muscles that I haven't used in some time. God has spoken lots of things to me over the years and I savor a bite of these thoughts in my mind, but have never been super disciplined to take the time to write them down and develop them! To see where He wants me to go with them! I regret wasting these God-given creative moments. I regret my wanderings. And I don't want to be that "unfaithful daughter" anymore. So I get on here and I write. Sometimes I have something to say, and sometimes it's difficult to get the creative juices flowing, but at least I am working on being available to God. To let him flow through me. And whenever He does have something he wants to say, I will be ready and willing and available to put the words down. Awesome. (And a little P.S. here, these posts are all very much in "rough draft" condition and I know it! The point isn't perfection or even fully developed thoughts....the point is the fee-flowing journaling. Editing comes later!)

Recently, when I came across this verse again, I saw a "new" part that I hadn't noticed before and I just loved it! It's the part that says "a woman will surround a man". My first thought was "Wooow, that's kind of . . . intimate in a way." I pictured a loving embrace, a very special and vulnerable moment that is very private. And I wondered what such a phrase could mean. The margin note in my Bible has a couple of possible suggestions. One thing was that the Hebrew word for "surround" means "to protect" suggesting that women will play an important role in God's Kingdom. Personally, I liked that idea. It resonated with the translation of my name, which is "protector". It has always been a very instinctive thing with me. I have always craved being safe and sound and having my loved ones safe as well. There is probably much more to that that I do not yet realize, but I do not believe I was named as such by mistake. I think a lot of women would agree that they sense a deep need to protect their loved ones. This is especially true of mothers. Never cross a mamma bear.

In a bit of a softer more gentle approach, instead of the word surround, other translations of this verse use the words "compass" and "encompass" with "compass" meaning "to woo, win and protect". Ah! Now we're talking! A woman will "woo, win and protect" a man! Again, I blush! Very special indeed. Soft and strong! Like a good bathroom tissue, huh? ;)

What really blew me away was the way that The Message Bible put it. It says it this way:

"A transformed woman will embrace the transforming God!"

WOW! Amen!!! A transformed woman will embrace the transforming God!! How exciting is that?! God does the transforming work in our lives and we turn around and embrace Him! HE does the work and we embrace Him! The Scripture says it's "a new thing on earth". A new thing. It's new and somehow has always been all at the same time. What's true has always been true and will always be truth. How fun it is to discover it today, as if for the very first time.

I encourage you to be in the Word and to find those familiar verses and see them in a new way for today. The Word is alive and reads us as surely as we read it!

Everyday Holy

"On that day 'HOLY TO THE LORD' will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the Lord's house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord Almighty."

Zechariah 14:20-21 (NIV)

Holy means to be set apart for God. Scripture tells us that the words "Holy to the Lord" will be posted on every day items. I love how the ordinary becomes extraordinary when it's dedicated to God and His purposes. We have things like "guest towels" and "the good china". In our closets we keep things like "dress shoes". We have pretty candles that we save and never burn. We keep our most precious jewelry locked up in a safe or stashed in a jewelry box and never ever wear them. Some people even have beautiful cars that they keep parked and rarely drive. These things are precious to us, and they should be. We should be good stewards of what we've been given. We shouldn't trash or waste special things. And yet, something inside me wonders, what good its it doing hidden away?

I was thinking about perfume. I used to have a precious bottle of perfume that I loved. I savored the scent and it was not inexpensive so I used it very rarely. I felt so special when I wore that perfume and I loved to touch the pretty bottle. I kept that bottle for years, only using it for special occasions. And then one day I realized that this special fragrance had lost what had made it special to me. Over time, the precise combination, the perfect chemistry of the solution, and broken down, no longer giving the liquid its beautiful aroma and therefore, making it completely useless to me. I had to throw away what was left because I had been too afraid to "waste" it when it was good. Such a shame!

There was a story about perfume in the Bible. It was the story about a woman who broke an expensive jar of perfume and poured it out on Jesus' feet in an extravagant gesture of love and worship. It shocked some in attendance, but Jesus understood it and defended her. He loved that she poured out all she had, because she did it from a right place in her heart.

I've been learning lately about a concept called "prosperity with purpose"--about being a generous and giving person, and about how we can use what we have to bless others. That really struck a chord in my heart. There were times in my life when I would accept guilt upon myself because I didn't think that what I was doing was "big" enough..."holy enough". I kept waiting for some super-miraculous future when in fact I was already executing divine things right in the very midst of everyday life! I sense that the Holy Spirit wants us to give ourselves some credit for all the little things we do that "pour out the perfume" every day.

One windy day, while I was parked outside my children's school waiting for the bell to ring, I noticed someone pick up a garbage can on the other side of the road that had blown over. It was not their can. In fact, this man was simply driving by and noticed the wayward can and took it upon himself to pull over, get out of his car and go pick up that can and return it to where it would be safe and sound. Such an ordinary thing. A nice gesture, yes. But I couldn't help but be stunned by it because I thought, "Right there is the hand of God!". Right there! Someone did a nice thing for a stranger! And demonstrated in that action is love and kindness and integrity. I was impressed!

My little girl and I were in line at the grocery store one day and the lady in front of us had purchased a package of special cookies and then before she left the store, she turned around and handed the cookies to me. "For your daughter", she said! Wow! What an undeserved thing! What a pleasant surprise!

A friend recently bought me a book that I had prayed for, but had not asked anyone for. I just said, "Lord, I'd really like to have this book, but I don't think I should buy it for myself. If you think I should have it, please put it on someones heart for me. Thank you Lord. I trust you." And it was a lovely birthday gift! My friend listened to the heart of God and met a desire. Holiness was in action.

Holiness doesn't need goosebumps or grand music or even good china. Every day things, every day situations, every day needs are just the matrix we need to do the will of God. To be set apart for Him and His will. Being generous of heart can come out of just what we have at the moment. And what we have doesn't even always mean money, but also our time and our energy and our kindness. "Let him who has eyes to see, see and ears to hear, hear." Look, and you will see the state of the hearts around you. Listen, and you will hear the needs. And the beautiful part is that we're already equipped to meet some of those needs and in God's economy as we do meet some of them, we will be refilled plus some.

Eventually, every little thing we do has the stamp of holiness upon it. Every birthday card, every ride to the doctor, every trip to the store, every phone call, every load of laundry, every bill paid, every gesture and thought and wish and prayer is dripping with the gleam of the Holy. Even every pot and pan and every drop of precious perfume can be used for something out of this world.