Wings

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles.
Isaiah 40:31

The babies are gone. Over a couple of days we watched, with anticipation, from our bedroom window as each fledgling house finch climbed up to the edge of the nest, shook its wings, looked around precariously, then retreated back to safety, preferring to fly another day. We saw the mother land an inch or two further each feeding time in order to coax the four young ones to venture from their secure environment. Then father and mother would land on an adjoining hanging plant, trading chirps with the next recruit, as if to say, "Come on. You can do it!" We didn't have the same patience as the parent birds, however, because we never got to see even one of them actually leave the nest. In an instant they had taken wing.

In a few short weeks, we observed the miracle of nature --- making a home, giving birth, feeding, nurturing and maturing --- a miniature panorama of life. This was a story complete with caring and interaction (One day the father bird nudged the mother along an electric wire, saying, "Get down there. They're getting too close to the nest."). It was a tale of danger. We have several neighborhood cats who circled and lay in wait for days, and we intervened to ensure that they weren't successful in their hunt. Even on launch day the ground must have looked as if it was miles below, rather than only a few feet from nest to porch.

Life lessons come in many forms, and this was one of many that present themselves to us on a daily basis. The Bible says that if God cares for the single sparrow that falls to the ground, how much more he cares for us, the ones made in his image. We start life being extremely needy. If we're not careful or obedient, we move from being needy to being greedy. We have a tendency to want to stay in the comfort and safety of the nest, expecting life to be delivered to us. But God wants us to venture forth and experience life, with all of its peril and excitement.

Later on in the day we saw above us what appeared to be sky training. The recently promoted chick would flap its wings furiously in order to stay aloft, while parent would row and glide gently across the heavens. There was much more to learn --- where to find food and water, how to avoid harm and how to prepare the next generation of birdness. All of this unfolded with apparent perfection. And we look on with wonder, then give thanks and praise to our God.