The peeping alerted me that something was amiss.
A mother bluebird had hatched several nestlings in a
birdhouse outside my office window. As I worked, I enjoyed hearing their peeps
as the mother and father bird made numerous trips to feed their young.
But on one day, the peeping differed. I looked outside,
thinking the babies had flown the coup. And they had, except one who languished
on the cement porch. I quickly scooped up the hatchling and returned it to the
nest. But mom and dad never returned. I saw them flitting around in the yard,
but they ignored the peeps of the abandoned baby. Although I tried feeding it
insects, it was dead when I arrived for work the next day.
In warning his followers about the persecution on their
horizon, Jesus reminded them that not even a sparrow falls without his
knowledge. He loves the least. I thought of the verse when I opened the
birdhouse and saw the dead baby. My heart broke as I realized sin was the
reason this scenario had gone awry. God didn’t want the nestling to die.
Loving the least is rarely easy. I thought of the Andy
Griffith episode where Andy’s son, Opie, adopted a nest full of baby birds and
nurtured them until they were ready to fly. His attempt succeeded; mine failed.
But at least I made the effort.
Although animals aren’t created in the likeness of God as
people are, and though they don’t have immortal souls as humans do, they are
still a part of God’s creation, which he expects us to care for. Many years
ago, God entrusted Adam and Eve with the care of his creation. His instructions
to them have been passed to all earthly inhabitants.
But loving the least extends beyond animals and the
environment to people as well. We are God’s highest creation, made in his
image. It may be easier to hobnob with those in places of importance who can
scratch our back in return, but God wants us to love the least, too. Those in
dire straits. Those who can’t fend for themselves. Those to whom life has
handed a tough hand of cards.
Learn to love the least, not just those who can help you in
return.
Father, create in my heart a love for all people and for
everything you have created.
I invite you to try my book Grits, Grace, and God in eBook or paperback. If you want a daily dose of God's grace, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.
No comments:
Post a Comment