Bird Struck! Heron

Family Devotional

Day Eighteen

                                              

“Be still, and know that I am God!”  Psalm 46:10

Great blue herons and egrets often look like statues as they stand watching and waiting for food. If they move it’s barely visible—just a fraction of motion. Time seems to stop. And sometimes it appears that they decided to take a nap.

But when their meal swims by, they strike like an arrow—straight and accurate.

It takes time to wait so patiently, and it takes time to learn to stand so still. And everywhere around us people are busy and moving so it seems odd to stay quiet. It’s hard to block out noise and to focus on one thing only. Even when you need to take a test in school, there are still people shifting in their seats or rustling papers. Or there are sounds out on the street or playground that distract us.

Often when we pray, we have a hard time to wait so patiently and watch in stillness for God’s answer. We can get distracted or feel sleepy or forget to wait for an answer.

We swim around and around like the fish in the pond and maybe miss the answer when it comes. The discerning fish recognizes the heron’s shadow waiting to strike and swims in another direction. When we copy the heron and stay still in prayer, God gives us discernment too so we will recognize danger warnings.

           

Action

1. Look at a clock to check what time it is and then get into a comfortable position and stay very still. How long does it take before you get uncomfortable and want to move?

2. Now try again without watching the time. Instead stay very quiet and listen. What sounds do you hear? What do you smell?

3. Next think about your day. Thank God for the good things that happened. Then talk to Him about a problem you had or a worry that occurred.

4. Did you become still on the inside and the outside?

           

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Exodus 14:13

Psalm 62:5-7

Romans 12:12

Bird Struck! Hummingbirds

Family Devotional

Day Seventeen

                                               

“Jesus replied, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’” John 6:35

All through each day hummingbirds are in constant motion. Although they are very small, they need the nectar from the flowers to keep moving. The smallest one of all is the bee hummingbird and it has to eat all day long too. Whatever it eats, it uses as fuel immediately. They are like little motors always going fast.

We don’t move as fast as the hummingbirds do, but in some ways we are always going too. We read or watch movies, sleep and dream, talk with friends, or do homework. Just being ourselves requires lots of energy to keep our bodies, our minds, and our hearts healthy and active.

“Abide in me,” Jesus said. When our bodies get hungry we feed them. When we are tired we sleep. When we lean on Jesus for our heart energy we never get empty. Sometimes when we are really physically hungry we eat snacks to fill us up quickly, but they wear off us as quickly as the hummingbirds’ nectar does.

Jesus’ fuel for our hearts never leaves us hungry or thirsty. No matter whether we are having a difficult day or a very happy one, He is listening to our thoughts and prayers. He is ready to fill us up with His personal nectar that refreshes with truth.

Action

1. For a few days keep a food diary. Write down what you eat. And also write down when you get hungry and tired.

2. Do you see any patterns between times you eat and times you are hungry?

3. Ask your parents for permission to eat only fast food for one day. How did you feel at the end of the day?

4. Then spend a day eating only healthy food. Do you see any differences?

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Matthew 6:11

John 6:32-33

John 6:48-51

Bird Struck! Pink Flamingos

Family Devotional

Day Sixteen

                                                           

“For he satisfies the thirsty, and fills the hungry with good things.” Psalm 107: 9

What color would you like to be today? If you knew that eating blueberries would turn you blue, or lemons yellow, or peanut butter brown, what would you choose for your breakfast?

Pink flamingos stand out in a crowd of birds. Sometimes they are also red or orange but they are best known for being pink. The interesting part is that without a particular substance of carotenoid in their diet they will be plain white. They can get the carotenoid from eating shrimp and algae. Some captured flamingos are also given carrots and beets in their diet to help them maintain their colors.

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had” (Philippians 2:5).

We can show our colors each day by the words we use, even when we don’t talk. A scowl shows grumpy colors. A smile is friendly. Sometimes we can change another person’s colors by acting with kindness.

Jesus said, “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.”

What kind of spiritual food might help us change our dull hearts to beautiful hearts?

Action

1. Make a list of colors you think would be fun to be for a day.

2. Write down actions that show how nice that color can be.

3. Choose one of the actions to practice for a week, or try a different one each day.

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Ezekiel 36:26-27

2 Corinthians 5:17-18

Bird Struck! Parrots

Family Devotional

Day Fifteen

  

“Let my true messengers faithfully proclaim my every word.” Jeremiah 23:28

Author Diana Wells states that “tame parrots learn to speak with uncanny accuracy, and can even be taught to count.” They also can live for nearly a hundred years.

Parrots are usually sought for their ability to talk and entertain. They are often considered of no value if they keep silent. However, their silence does not mean that they don’t understand, and often the words they hear they will repeat much later, sometimes with embarrassing consequences.

The apostle Paul often admonishes new believers to watch what they say and how they act. Life with Jesus means following His example and His words rather than the culture around us.

It’s easy, and sometimes fun, to learn new slang and new ways of communication. But we too need to pay attention to the meaning behind words.

“Set your mind on things above,” Scripture says. We’re not to repeat random words like parrots, but instead to think about what we are saying and why.

Others may be listening or overhear us talking. If we are always speaking words of truth and hope and encouragement, then we can reflect and repeat Jesus’ character. People value others who speak honestly.

Action

1. Choose three or four of your favorite Bible stories. Write down what words best describe them.

2. Use those words whenever you can this week to encourage others.

3. Or use them to pray silently.

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Colossians 3:1-2

Hebrews 4:12

Bird Struck! Magpies

Family Devotional

Day Fourteen

“Do not judge others and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others.” Matthew 7:1

Worldwide, magpies are known as chattering birds. A yellow-billed one in California was said to have a noisy voice, almost like a whine.

Stories diverge though as to whether people regard them as good or bad. Despite several attempts throughout history to poison them, they continued to remain abundant. So in folklore they were sometimes thought to have supernatural powers.

Unfortunately, many people groups in history have also been regarded as good or evil and attempts were made to exterminate them when others felt threatened by them.

In Jesus’ time the religious leaders of the Sanhedrin decided through an illegal trial to crucify Him. The early Christians were hunted by Roman authorities and died for their faith. The Jewish people and Gypsies were among those targeted during the Holocaust. And sadly, even today, many ethnic groups are regarded as good by some and evil by others.

But good or evil is not due to the ethnic race of a people group, but by individual choices that each person makes in their heart and by their actions.

“Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil” (Proverbs 3:7).

The only one who can honestly judge or know each person’s heart is God. And through Jesus’ gift of grace, each heart that has been evil can be changed towards good and transformed by His sacrifice for every person.

Action

1. Listen for unkind words this week, said either to you or to others.

2. Write down the reason those words were being said. Did they have any truth in them or were the speakers being mean?

3. Think of some ways you can say kind words to those who are mean to you or others for no understandable reason.

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Matthew 7:1-5           

John 3:18-21

Bird Struck! Orioles

Family Devotional

Day Thirteen

“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105

The Latin word for “golden” is aureolus, and it became the root for the word “oriole.” When Lord Baltimore was the governor of Maryland in the 1700s, his coat of arms used the same colors as the orioles’ plumage.

Emily Dickinson has a poem about them.

                        “To hear an Oriole sing           

                        May be a common thing

                        Or only a divine.”

Orioles are also known for the beautiful hanging nests they make. Jesus told His disciples, “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16).

Our common everyday lives can be divine also when we live by the golden light of God’s truth.

Whether we’re doing an outside work that people can see, like helping to build homes or feeding the homeless, or doing an inside work on our hearts, like forgiving a friend who said unkind words to us, we are creating something beautiful.

And creating beauty helps everyone to see God’s light.

Action

1. Build a small birds’ nest for your backyard or windowsill.

2. Or make a colored paper one to give to a friend and fill it with some special treats to let them know you appreciate them.

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Psalm 90:17

Matthew 5:14-15

1 Peter 2: 4-6

Bird Struck! Kestrel

Family Devotional

Day Twelve                                               

           

“I am the Light of the world.” John 8:12

Although a kestrel is often called a sparrow hawk, it is actually a small falcon. They have a harsh cry “to rattle” or to sound like a “ringing voice.”

Often in the Middle Ages they were kept near to the dovecotes as protection from hawks because their cries would keep the predators away.

But another characteristic of the kestrels has been identified by modern means. Due to cones in their eyes they can detect ultraviolet light which enables them to catch prey they otherwise would not see.

The Bible tells us: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1:5).

Sometimes we can’t see the danger around us because harmful things can disguise themselves as fun at first. What at first might seem like a silly prank becomes dangerous if someone gets hurt.

“Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity” (1Cor 13:12).

We need to examine suggestions and ask Jesus for His light to give us wisdom when we’re not sure if it’s safe. When we ask, He will sound an alarm in our thoughts and feelings if we need a warning.

Sometimes it’s as if we have ultraviolet sight too when He gives us guidance to recognize danger.

Action

1. What do you wish you could see with ultraviolet light? Why? What else might help you see clearly?

2. Write down some verses about wisdom and choose one to think about each day for a week. Does your opinion about some things change?

3. Do you know someone who is danger of making a bad decision? What information can you share to help them see the possible results?

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1Cor 13:12-13

John 3:19-21