You're not made for the nest

This past summer, I saw a hummingbird's tiny nest packed tightly between two branches in a wobbly little tree in my back yard. For many of us in this area, hummers fly everywhere acting like they own the place and I guess they do because my first job in the morning and last in the evening is making sure their feeders are cleaned and refilled with fresh sugar water. More than once my husband, (joking I hope), said he wishes he was a hummingbird because I take such good care of them.

Because its so rare to see a hummingbird nest, it made me think about Christ and what He's done for us. This little Momma bird sat on tiny eggs for several days and then one day I noticed she was flying off quite often and returning with food for her little babies. She fed them for several days, but I knew it wouldn't last and one day she would push them out of the nest ... because they were not made for the nest.

As much care as she took to feed them, you would think she'd want them under her wing for longer but that's not what happened. Momma bird pushed them closer and closer to the edge of the nest until one day it was either fly or fall.

I thought of faith. Faith is so much like that little hummingbird family. As a newborn Christian we don't usually get big faith wings immediately, and if we do, naysaying Christians or non-Christians will be sure to clip our wings to keep us grounded. Just like the baby birds, we learn to fly a little each time we're pushed. The Bible says, "Line upon line. Precept upon precept" It may be a little easier to relate to if I say, "trial upon trial". I believe, if we fail to grow spiritually, He nudges us closer and closer to the edge until we learn to fly.

Just like the baby birds, we like the nest. The nest is our comfort zone. Momma and Poppa bird feeds the babies as long as they are in the nest, but once they are pushed out, they have to learn some survival tactics. Learning to survive is dangerous. We don't want to be pushed out of the nest, but that's our only choice if we are going to fly. We will get a few nicks and scrapes as our faith wings develop, but eventually we will learn to fly because we are not made for the nest.

As you know, baby birds can't fulfill their purpose if they stay in the nest. They would never fly. They would never be part of the ecosystem which keeps life on earth flowing smoothly. In the very same way, we can't fulfill our purpose if we stay in the comfort of our nest.

I thought of a few things that can be our "nest"; our comfort zone: Family. Recliner. A book or TV. It can be anything or anywhere we allow life to pass us by. Church can become a nest. That's where we are comfortable. A few songs, a sermon and a few friends can be a comfortable place to be. Let me tell you, one day God will want us to get out of our comfortable nest and mature spiritually. We are not made for the nest, no matter what those "nests" may be. We are made to grow.