 Those nestlings just outside my front door are getting bigger and stronger every day! Just a few days ago they could hardly hold their heads up and were making sounds that were barely audible. They were covered in soft downy fuzz and the only distinguishable feature were their bills pointing up and out waiting for mama and papa birds to drop in some tasty morsel. Only yesterday we began to see their individual heads bobbing around the edges of the nest. This morning we could clearly see all five little birds, complete with recognizable plumage struggling to keep their place in the nest as the others jostled them about. They were peering anxiously at every movement in the driveway and yard below as they preened their new feathers and chirped loudly for the next meal. By all appearances, these "teenagers" are feeling crowded in that nest and are ready to fly away.
We're doing a lot of "tip-toeing" around as we go in and out today. We don't want to do anything to startle the birds and cause them to fly prematurely. We learned last year how disastrous that could be. Even though they look like they're ready, and they probably "think" they are, too, it's important that they stay in the protective confines of the nest until the moment that God has predetermined for them to take to flight.
I'm impressed that our teen-agers are so like these young birds. They grow so rapidly, and soon their bodies resemble that of adults...mature and ready to take on the world. Their confidence grows just as rapidly, and they tend to over-estimate their abilities. It's equally important that we proceed gently with our young people, encouraging them to stretch and explore the world around them without pushing them into independence before they are really ready. Remember, they will look and sound mature long before they actually are. Let us be wise and judge our children's maturity with the wisdom that the Lord (who sees the heart) gives. |
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Jul. 14, 2008 Welcome to Our Nest!
 God has said that everything there is to be learned about Him can be discovered by observing the created world around us (Romans 1:20). Shortly after I was married, and before I had my two sons, He began to reveal Himself to me through a fascination with observing birds. I looked out my living room windows one day to see a beautiful bird! This bird had a dramatic black head and back contrasted by a clear white breast with a bright red patch in the middle of it. I was compelled to identify this beauty. Thus, began my addiction to bird-watching!
Identification was just the beginning, though. I learned to listen to the birds, observe their behavior in mating, nesting and raising their young. I watched as the nestlings became fledglings and left the nest for their first solo flights. In most cases one or both of the parents carefully train the youngsters how to fly, how to make a safe landing, where to perch out of danger, and where to find food. Once, however, in our eagerness to see the little ones up close, we caused the entire clutch to fly too soon and observed the sheer panic that resulted as they tumbled about the branches of nearby trees and the parents wildly tried to round up their little flock, but it was too late. They had left the nest and once that happens there is no return in the bird world. We could only repent of our carelessness and selfishness and pray that the parents would be able to find the fledglings and teach them quickly what they needed to survive.
Now with lessons of the past well-learned, we watch patiently the little brood growing in their little nest just outside our front door. This time, as the nestlings near that day when they will be ready to try their wings, we are careful to stay down, away from the nest and allow nature and nurture to do the work of determining the correct time for them to fly.
As I've watched birds over the years, God has shown me how much I can learn about building my own "nest", caring for and raising my young "nestlings" and how to recognize how and when they will be ready to make the transition to "fledglings". And I've learned that even after they begin to try their own wings, there is still much to teach them about how to survive and prosper in the world until that day when they, too will find a mate and begin the process of "nesting" and raising their own "brood".
May you begin to see the wonders that the Lord can reveal to the eyes of your heart as He reveals Himself to you in the beauty and wonder of what He has created!
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My Nest
I love bird-watching! God has taught me so much from the close observation of these small wonders of His creation which He has promised to provide for in every way. They have been both my example and my encouragement. I hope you will find good things to nourish and build up your nest as you visit mine!
A Bird's Eye View
Or... What I'm Reading
Home-Designed High School
by Diana Johnson
Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott
My Perches
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Flying Lessons
Here you will find links to some of our favorite
websites for curriculum and resources!
Hands of a Child
Nest-Building
Do you need a little help getting (or keeping) your
nest in order? Here are some websites that you may give you
some useful ideas and resources:
Flylady.net
Birds of a Feather
Did you enjoy your time here? Let me know if you'd like to join my "flock"!
Flight Plan to Fun
Word of the Day
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| Definition: |
A broad, flat-topped elevation with one or more clifflike sides, common in the southwest United States. |
| Synonyms: |
table
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Quote of the Day
In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations, and epochs it is the rule.
Friedrich Nietzsche
(1844-1900) |
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