The following devotional is the second in a short series inspired by Melo, our beloved Parrotlet.
“Blessings crown the head of the righteous . . .” (Prov 10:6)
Our family recently swelled in size by one member: A tiny Parrotlet (miniature parrot) that we named Meloconcito — or “Melo” for short. The arrival of this little feathered critter served to double the bird population in our home, and he immediately set out to let the resident Cockatiel (4 times his size) know who was boss! Now that the first few days are passed, things seem to have settled down a bit between the birds, and they will actually share the same set of shoulders — as long as they stay perched on opposite sides! But if there is food in the picture, look out. In the mornings, I sit down with both kids (and both birds!) to eat crackers and read a Bible story. It’s a special time that all five (me, 2 kids, 2 birds) look forward to. When we sit down, the first thing the boys do is give each of the birds a cracker. The cockatiel immediately charges into her cracker with a vengeance. Melo, however, may or may not peck at his before he charges over to steal the cockatiel’s treat. And if we don’t watch him, he succeeds. If he doesn’t succeed, then his next goal is to steal the crackers out of the hands of my children, and occasionally, out of my hands as well! As I watched this little cracker thief the other day, it occurred to me how much like most Christians he is. Everyday, God dishes out blessings for each of His children. For each of His children, He prepares just the perfect blessing, the one that, in the long run, will make each of us the happiest. And what do we tend to do? We usually don’t even see our own blessing. And if we do, we often will just “peck” at it briefly before we’re off to examine the blessings God has given to others. Sometimes we get so jealous that we actually try to “steal” the blessings of others, while our own go completely unappreciated. Sometimes we even go so far as to accuse God of blessing others but overlooking us! Don’t try to “steal” the “cockatiel’s crackers” my friends! When you are in need of a blessing from the Lord, ask! (“You do not have, because you do not ask God.” James 4:2-3) Then stand back and watch Him pour out His blessings. Remember, your blessing may not look the same on the outside as what you asked for, but it is a blessing, just the same! Instead of looking at the blessings received by others, give thanks for the one you received instead! Please see the Thursday’s edition of The Illustrator for The Pocket Parrot, Part 3. Love in Christ,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Moderator, The Nugget, Scriptural Nuggets ( www.scripturalnuggets.org), Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org
(To access the entire “The Pocket Parrot” mini-series, please click here.)