Certainty in Uncertain Times
Do you like an overachiever? How about a high flier? We both do. We like it even better when we discover this overachiever is not human. We don’t need to be envious. It is a high flier. Get your fill of true expertise. Take a few moments to read about the Cliff Swallow.
Do something else while you read. As you read tell yourself: “God did this.”
Why?
Because we live in uncertain days. You are fearful, so am I.
Our neighbors are fearful. Read about the Cliff Swallow to be assured. Everything is ok. Our fears are really unnecessary. Look what God did with the Cliff Swallow. Remember your line as you read: “God did this.”
The peal of this barn is 30 feet above ground.
Do birds impress you? This one should. The Cliff Swallow is not from around here. It nests here. That takes about two months start to finish. We’ll get to the nest later. Cliff Swallows spend winters as far south as Buenos Aires. From my desk, that is about 6,043 miles by air. How many wing beats is that? A Cliff Swallow’s wings measure just under 12 inches. How many lung fills is that? This truth gives Cliff Swallows another distinction: “Long Distance Migrant.” Have you said your line yet? Might be a good time. While some of the winter is spent in the mild summer of a South American country, the Cliff Swallow spends months migrating. Migrating to mate and nest in spring, migrating to return to wintering grounds in fall…actually they leave this area-West Central Minnesota by August. This bird is constantly on the move-year around.
Can a bird be a precision engineer?
Can a bird build a structure which usually remains intact more than 12 months? What do Cliff Swallows use for “construction” tools? Think about it. What do birds have to use for tools? Beaks and feet…right? The Cliff Swallow pair builds with a unique, but common material: mud. Their nest is gourd shaped when completed and about 8 inches long, 6 inches wide and 4-5 inches wide. Why don’t you guess how many mouthfuls of mud the two birds need to carry to the nest site?
It takes between 900 and 1,200 beaks filled with mud to engineer a nest to hold up to 6 Cliff Swallow eggs. Then 10-19 days for them to be incubated and another week to 10 days for the young Cliff Swallows to grow feathers and fly. The clock is ticking for the Cliff Swallow, there is no time in the spring and summer nesting activity to waste. Could you build a nest with mud balls? Could you build it to withstand weather, to last up to 12 months in the same form and cling to a vertical wall resisting gravity all the time. It might be a good time to repeat your line…I am.
Have I told you it is wise to watch birds?
The Long Distance migrant, Cliff Swallow, is a beautiful bird.
It is. Watching birds reminds us of our connection to God. Watching birds reminds us of God’s vast genius in creating and ordering the lives of birds like the Cliff Swallow. Birds are beautiful. Mysterious, and do many wonderful things. Perhaps the most significant wonder of a bird is the lesson we learn from them about God.
Here it is: We are far more valuable to God than birds.
So, when you feel fearful about the uncertainties of life and what will happen in the world, stop and watch the birds. The Cliff Swallow would be a great candidate-but do it soon. Within two months they will be gone. Watch the birds, be awed by them, observe the beauty and power in them. Then remember, God loves you more than birds. Remember, you are far more valuable to Him than birds.
Sigh a great sigh of relief. Be greatly comforted by the physical evidence of God’s love for us-by watching birds. This is a great time to repeat your line-one more time: God did this! You can say these words truthfully with confidence. And you can add these: Birds are evidence I am loved by God.