On March 29, 1963, a new movie by famed director Alfred Hitchcock premiered – starring Tippi Hedren. I was a ten year old boy when it came out and to this day, it is one of my favorite movies. For those who may not be familiar with it, ”The Birds” is a film about birds taking over a town and eventually you are left with the idea that they will rule over the earth. It’s a thriller, in the Hitchcock style, of course, and I remember being glued to my seat when I saw it the first time. It was my introduction to this master filmmaker, Alfred Hitchcock.
To be sure, I have had something of a love-hate relationship with birds. Janet and I have always been proponents of feeding our feathered friends, but years ago, when we first moved to Carmel, IN in 1982, we bought a home and shortly after moving in, we noticed a pounding sound and then a huge hole in the side of our garage up near a second floor window. One day when I was outside, I saw the largest woodpecker I have ever seen and eventually identified it as a pileated woodpecker. It was huge and its beak destroyed wood like a jackhammer. It wouldn’t leave. We hung rubber snakes and just about anything else we could find to scare it off. I was even thinking of even more permanent solutions until I learned they were a protected species and harming it would not end well for me.
Eventually, a friend came over, repaired the huge hole and repainted the area over the garage. We had another incident or two, but our pesky intruder finally went away. Problem solved… That ended the woodpecker problem… until recently. Last fall, we had several trees trimmed and I noticed a small hole in our three season room – located near the canopy of a large birch tree. I assumed the tree company had removed a branch that had damaged the house. When they returned several days ago to remove a dying tree in our front yard, I asked them about it.
Their foreman, who I know well, let me know that it wasn’t any damage they did. It was a woodpecker hole! And when we went around to look, there was another one on the side of the house! I couldn’t believe it. I have seen woodpeckers at our feeders but it never dawned on me that they could be “eating” the house… After 40 years, we are dealing with this issue again. Thankfully, our handyman came over, filled the holes, repainted and now we are waiting to see if the woodpeckers have moved on. We will see…
We had another bird issue as well this spring. We have a covered front porch and I noticed straw and other items all over our entrance to the home. Sure enough, birds were building a nest above the front door under the safety of the porch. The first several days I went out and swept off the area. But they were persistent. Each morning, the debris would return and it was only a day or two before there was a full nest – built of mud and all the other materials birds usually use to create their homes. The area above the door is leaded glass so we can see from our front hall what is happening out there.
It’s been pretty quiet lately and Janet was wondering if the birds had abandoned the nest; maybe they had moved on. I held my camera up high, snapped a picture and, to my surprise, there were three tiny baby robins in the nest, clearly newly hatched. Of course, we decided to leave everything alone and just watch, with intrigue, whatever was going to happen. Yesterday morning, I walked through the front hall on my way to the kitchen and, must to may wonder and amazement, these baby birds, with their mouth’s open, were waiting for Mom to feed them. I admit that my heart melted a little. It was a special event. In this world full of destruction, fear, death and dying, here were these little helpless creatures, created by God, totally dependent on their mother for sustenance and their survival.
I have to think that even the hardest heart would have stopped and wondered at the awesome power of God to create such a moment. It was such a dichotomy for me – the recent destruction of our property and yet, here, quite the opposite. The creation of life that we were a witness to. I don’t want to sound overly dramatic here, but it really impacted me. Janet has been remarking all week how great the mother bird has been to her babies. I agree, but it didn’t occur to me as quickly as Janet picked up on it. I guess, in a way, that she identifies with the care of family. Janet’s the best mother I know.
Our verse tonight is from the book of Job. After all sorts of trials and tribulations, Job remained faithful to God, recognizing His awesome omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence. We are told, in Job 12:7-10, “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”
My encouragement this evening that in the midst of this crazy world, God loves to send us little surprises to remind us of His presence. We serve a living God who is active in our lives. He didn’t just start the world and step aside! My prayer is that we will all realize the little miracles that we see everyday to remind us of God’s love for us and His everlasting presence. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…