Today’s mini-sermon is the second of a three part series. These are inspired by recent happenings that involved Rocket, our beautiful, Latino Cockatiel. In Saturday’s newsletter you discovered with us that what we had always thought of as a male bird had laid an egg! Overnight, “Rocket” had become “Rockette”!
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8:28-29)
As Rocket’s first day of motherhood progressed, it became apparent that she was taking her job very seriously! Every time we passed by her cage, (Which was about twice a minute! Her cage was right in the center of activity in our home!) she flew at us, hissing and pecking through the bars of her cage. I felt so sorry for the poor creature, and I determined to move her cage as soon as I had a chance.
My “chance” didn’t come until late that evening. After the kids were in bed, I unhooked the cage and moved it to a ceiling hook on the far wall of the living room, away from everyday traffic. I also took the opportunity to put some nesting material and some crushed oyster shell into the cage in order for her to have a ready supply of Calcium. But little “Rockette” didn’t thank me for my efforts at all! She proceeded to “attack” the dish of crushed oyster shells. If I hadn’t rescued it, she would have pitched it off the side of the cage. Then she began trying to throw the nesting material out of the cage, all the while squawking as if she were being taken to the chopping block. She seemed to have absolutely no concept of the fact that I was trying to help her. Instead, she became so stressed out over it all that she ended up temporarily losing interest in her egg, totally ignoring it for the next 18 hours. (Right up until the time she laid egg number two! Then the “nesting” instinct again took over. She laid 5 before it was all said and done!)
Have you ever had anything bad happen to you? If you have, then perhaps you relate to what Rocket was going through. Maybe it was someone who “interfered” in the way you raised your kids. Maybe you were “forced” into a move that you didn’t really want to make. Or perhaps you are fighting health problems, and there is this guy at work who REALLY GETS ON YOUR NERVES! How often haven’t we all said, “Guess God wasn’t listening to my prayers today! If He had been, He would have saved my home!” Or “He would have gotten that ‘busy body’ out of my life!” Or “Why did God allow me to get sick? Why doesn’t He answer MY prayers??”
My friends, just like my cockatiel completely misunderstood my efforts to help her, we often misunderstand the things that happen in our lives. We often blame God for things that we might be better off thanking Him for. We forget the all-important promise: Rom 8:28-29: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” No matter what calamity has come our way, God is still in charge. And He has promised to make something beautiful out of the “bad” things that seem to come our way. In fact, James tells us that we are allowed to suffer trials so that we may develop patience! James 1:2-5: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Wouldn’t it be better to simply place our faith in an All-Knowing, All-Powerful God, ever trusting that He is in control and what we are going through is what we might have chosen for ourselves, if we could see the end from the beginning? Just as Rocket would have been a much happier bird if she had trusted me through the rocky time of moving her cage to a more quiet spot, we would also have much more joyful lives if we trusted God enough to let Him be in charge, even when things don’t seem to go our way!
Father God, may I always blindly place me faith in you, especially when things are going wrong, ever trusting that you make all things beautiful, in Your time!
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Moderator, The Nugget, Scriptural Nuggets ( www.scripturalnuggets.org ), Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org
(To access the entire “Lessons From a Cockatiel” mini-series, please click here.)