REFLECTIONS
May 1, 2011
 
 
[God] created the heavens and … gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it
Isaiah 42:5
 
 
Nature at Work
 
The little wren darted about the porch, sometimes chirping noisily to gain attention, sometimes flitting quietly to seek its destination without notice. The destination was always a small, cone shaped nest camouflaged within the foliage of a potted plant. But for the occasional watering of the plant, the nest might have easily gone unseen at least until the foliage around it settled in for a long winter’s nap. But once attention was drawn to it, the nest became a case-study of nature at work.
The size of the nest and the shape of it were curious if not intriguing. There is a wonder about how a small bird would know how to build a nest at all even without the mystery of how large to make it or how to shape it. Its location is a wonder too. The flower pot doesn’t seem to be in the most protective place to raise a family. The only protection it provided is the location beneath the covered porch and the camouflage offered by the leafy plant that grows within it.
And then there is the wonder of the eggs. Both Mom and Dad Wren took turns keeping them warm until the life contained within them cracked through their protective shells. Finally there are small chirpings coming from the nest and a peek inside reveals tiny beaks opened and anxious to receive food morsels from their very busy parents. For Mom and Dad Wren, nurturing their young appears to be an endless and exhaustive job.
One day soon, the newborns will nudge their way out of the safety of their nest to test their own wings. Likely they will never return to their birth home. But one thing is sure. Come next spring, they will find themselves busily building a cone shaped nest in a protected place camouflaged by foliage. They will find themselves dedicated to an endless and exhaustive pattern of bringing forth new life and nurturing it into maturity just as their parents had done for them. And as for Mom and Dad Wren…
Well maybe they will live to repeat the process for another year or two; but once their babies fly away, their work will be complete for the season. It is nature at work.
And there are still other wonders. Just who created nature in the first place? Who created the instincts to build nests just the right size and to reproduce life in such a beautiful way? And who places the breath of life into all living things?
Look around. Nature is at work. God’s hand made it all.
 
You are the light of the world,
RichardÌ


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