A Bird in the WHAT?

There she sits, Momma Bird, who built her nest atop my front door wreath. Not too smart, Momma!

The front door is a busy place in our house. Outside, my husband and son worked for weeks building the front walkway (an awesome job they did, by the way!). On the inside, a bustling family, complete with dog and a staircase just a few feet from the front door. Every time we are near the door, Momma senses danger and flies away to a nearby tree. Now you and I know that she is not really in danger, but from her point of view, there is grave danger. So, my question is – why, with the safe haven of a giant oak nearby, did she pick such a potentially dangerous place to build her nest?

Reminds me of someone we read about in the book of Genesis – Abraham’s nephew, Lot. When Abraham and his nephew moved to Canaan, Lot “moved his tents near Sodom. The people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.” More than once, Uncle Abraham had to come to his rescue. Yet Lot remained camped at the edge of sin.

In our lives today, we can behave like Lot. Listening to music or watching movies or TV shows that chip away at our sense of moral conduct. We engage in conversations that steer towards gossip rather than honest caring sharing. We purchase items with money we don’t have. It may not seem like the outrageous sin of Sodom, but when we are camped near the boundary of unrighteous behavior, our consciences become dulled. When we are entertained by the things of this world, we diminish our sensitivity to things of God. And that is a dangerous situation to be in!

Our Momma bird has become less fearful of danger. Where she used to fly away at the slightest whisper, she now remains perched even when we come close to the door, acclimated to her environment.

The moral of the story: While we are to be in the world, we are not be of it. Be loving, but not compromising. Life in the spirit is a battle, and as any good soldier will tell you, don’t camp near the enemy!