Tuesday 28 June 2011

Amazed...

Remember I had told you about the Robin's nest that had the three Robin eggs in it and my mom had placed a Silkie chicken egg in it to try and have the Robin hatch it.  And after a week of setting on the eggs the Robin had left and never returned and so we assumed something had happened to her.  I took the nest out of the planter a couple of times to take some picture with my daughter holding the nest and then return it back to the planter thinking that I might take some more pictures another time.  We threw out the Silkie egg thinking it was probably rotten.


There were three Robin eggs in the nest and one actually had a bit of crack in it.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago the Robin returned to set on the eggs, we thought this was quite strange thinking there was no way the eggs would hatch because they had been sitting for a number of days.  Well on the 21st of June two of the eggs hatched, we were amazed.  I didn't think the third egg would hatch because it had a bit of a crack in it but the next day it hatched as well.  So I thought I'd share some images of the babies with you.  Robin babies aren't really that beautiful but it's amazing how fast they grow.


Taken the day after they hatched.


Six days after the first two hatched.


The rest of the images were taken today, seven days after they hatched.





I had waited for so long for the mother to come and feed the babies hoping to get an image with their necks stretched and their mouths open waiting to be fed.  The mother was quite cautious and so I wasn't able to capture the image I wanted, this shot was right after the momma had flown away and they were still hoping for some more breakfast.

So I've been thinking about this whole story of the Robin eggs in relation to life.  We all struggle in life, there are areas where we want to change and yet it never seems to happen, it's like we always default back to our usual position, yet still knowing there is a better way or that there is more within us but we don't know how to access it.  And so it's like these things, whether they be dreams, changes in our character, etc. lay dormant within us and we can start to believe that life will never change, that the dreams that are within us will never come to fruition.  

Like the Robin eggs, the mother set on them for a while and then she left and they were alone in their nest, just sitting there with no hope to hatch and yet the potential of life was within them.  Just like with us, the potential for change, the potential to carry out our dreams is within us, it just needs to be brought forth, we need to take the risk to change or to step into our dreams.  Often times when it comes to character change it takes a breaking down of our pride, an admitting that how we have behaved or treated others is wrong.  Pride is a tough thing to overcome.  

For myself I can struggle with who I am and how at times I treat my husband whether that be in words or in closing my heart towards him.  This is an area of struggle for me and I can wonder will I ever be free of it.  Will it ever be that my default position will no longer be that quick closing off of my heart...that instant act of self protection. 

Oh to be free to just be, to have wings to fly.  I look forward to watching the baby Robins fly from their nest.  I know it won't be so perfect that it will take many lift offs before they get it right.  And it will be dangerous because until they know how to fly they will be an easy target for predators...like our cat and the neighbour's cat and yet they will fly from their nest anyway, they have to, it is within them to learn to fly. 

For myself as well it is within me to change, to grow, to fly in areas where I have preferred to stay safe.  And yet this is something I know I can't do on my own, it is only through Jesus Christ that I can ever hope to grow to be all that God intends for me to be.  Just as with the Robin eggs that sat dormant for a number of days it took the warmth and closeness of the mother Robin in order for them to fully come to life and to hatch.  So it is with Jesus, I have to remain close to Him in order to know Him and to hear Him.  The farther I walk away from Him and do life in my own strength the more distant His voice becomes in my life.  When baby Robins first fly from the nest it is quite a noisy thing, the mother chirping away at her babies and the babies chirping away at their mother.  She hovers around them trying to keep them safe, to keep them within the vicinity of her protection.  So it is with Jesus, He wants us to remain in Him...close to Him so that He can protect us, so that He can lead us.

And just as it's not perfection when the baby Robins first leave their nest, for us as well it is never perfection when you step out or when you try to change, it doesn't always go as planned.  I can know on the inside the kind of wife or mother I want to be but it isn't always reflected on the outside, it takes practice.  If I mess up, then I try again the next time...this is life...this is growth and this is learning how to fly.  

The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the
earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can
fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the
weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those how hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:28b-31









2 comments:

  1. First of all, great photos!! Secondly, what a miracle that those little fledglings survived! Lastly, I love your analogy. So many times I beat myself up for being imperfect, even when trying to do the right thing, when I should be glad for the opportunity to grow, knowing that there will be bumps in the road. That Isaiah verse is my husband's favorite. Tina, you are a blessing!

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  2. Your patience paid off because these are excellent images! And as usual, your analogy is right on. I agree with Gail...you are a blessing!

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