THE TIME TO FLY IS NOW
As many of you in this community know, God often speaks to me in nature using his creation to explain either Kingdom principles, as Jesus did with his parables, or he will also use them to illustrate to me the spiritual things that are currently happening.
Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!
– Psalm 150:6 NLT
I love springtime especially because new life is on full display all around us. The fragrance of freshness, the perfume of flowers, and the gorgeous greens and pastels combine to create such a wonderful experience for me. But what I love most about the spring season is what it represents. It’s nesting season, birthing season, and graduation season for God’s creatures.
Every year, a family of sparrows will nest at the back of my home, I’ve come to expect it and await their arrival with excitement. They usually arrive in April having their first brood in May and depending on conditions, they will have up to 3 or 4 broods each season through September. Well, this year, instead of 1 sparrow family, I actually had 2 families. In some cultures, having sparrows nest at your home is a symbol of blessing and that your home is a blessed place. Well, with the arrival of 2 families this year, I consider it as a double blessing and that the joy of new life is springing forth in both the front of my home as well as the back. New Life all around and as my covenant promise with Yahweh says, I’m blessed going in and blessed going out!
“Blessed shall you be when you come in and blessed shall you be when you go out.”
– Deuteronomy 28:6 NKJV
Well, for the past week since I’ve returned home from being out of town, I have enjoyed the sounds of the sparrow babies chirping and moving around. And I’ve equally enjoyed watching both Mama and Papa Sparrow fly back and forth partnering with one another and taking turns to feed their young. They are VERY watchful birds and though I always try my best not to disturb them, I notice how they watch me closely whenever I would go in and out of the house. Yesterday, however, I noticed that the voices of the baby birds were much stronger which signals to me that they will soon be ready to leave the nest. You have to understand that birds don’t live in nests forever, they are primarily for incubation and serve as nurseries once the babies are born.
So, while the Sparrow families are here, I get to learn the different calls that mom and dad sparrow use to communicate with their chicks, and I also learn what the chicks sound like when they respond or when they call out to their parents. This is beautiful to me, God’s creation in motion. Of course, I ALWAYS ask God what is happening and what they are saying to one another as he and I enjoy watching his creation together.
Yesterday, I had a coaching class where I experienced massive breakthroughs and as a result, I declared to God and myself out LOUD, “This is it! Lord, I thank you for the new life, I’m letting go of things passed and I’m stepping out now according to your plan ONLY. Now is the time as you have said and today is the day!” Well, this morning around 6:00 I heard the babies chirping loudly in the nests in the front of the house and the back of the house. Around 7:30, I still heard a bit of movement in the nests. But by 8:30, I noticed that it had been silent for a while. Although I could still hear both sets of Sparrow parents, both nests were quiet. Could today be the day? As I listened and watched, I could hear faint tweets from the babies. YES! Today is the day! The babies have fledged and left the nest!!!! So, what did I do? I grabbed my binoculars to take a look at what was happening in the tree. I could see Papa Sparrow hopping from one high branch to another and waiting as he called out to his young. It was as if he was saying “Come up here!” The youngsters then responded (which is why I could hear their faint tweets) and would eventually take the bold leap to the next branch where he patiently sat. I watched this for a while amazed and thankful that I’m allowed to see such beauty, joy, and life. The chicks were doing what was already in them to do, they just needed the confidence to do it and Papa Sparrow provided the step-by-step or in this case, a flight-by-flight demonstration which provided all of the encouragement they needed. By 10:30 am, they were not only flying from branch to branch, but they were now happily flying from tree to tree. And by noon… both Sparrow families were gone and off on exploratory adventures.
This encounter is a beautiful reminder of our Father our Papa, Abba, and how he watches over us and teaches us. There comes a time when we have to come out of the comfort of our nests, our proverbial comfort zones, and fly. Will you automatically soar? No. Will you flap your wings awkwardly and bump into a few branches? Yes. But there are steps that you will have to take, branches that you will have to fly to as you go higher and higher up in the tree getting comfortable with flight, feeling the stretch of your wings, and exercising the muscles so that they get stronger as they carry you. The Father will call to us to coax us out of our comfort zone, and in our reluctance or nervousness, we will call out to him, and he will answer us. He’s listening for our voice, and we must equally listen for his. The call of God on our lives requires our active participation if we are to fly and eventually soar. As you do, you will learn how to see things differently and how to focus on what matters. And all this will be done under the watchful eye of the Father, Yahweh. His promise is this:
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.” – Psalm 32:8 NKJV
So, what are you waiting for? Hear the voice of the Lord your God calling you to “Come Up Here!” and take the bold leap to hop out of the nest and fly!