Chickadee
John Miller
02/17/20
- Windstream Mail
R E F L E C T I O N S Thoughts on nature and the Christian faith - 2/17/20 _________________________________________________________________________ "Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" - Mt. 6:26 |
|
|
 |
Whenever a fresh snow blankets our property I can bet that one of the first birds I will see braving the cold temperatures will be a chickadee. These tiny birds fascinate me. How can such a small creature survive temperatures that would kill most humans if we were to remain outside unclothed an entire day? How can such tiny legs withstand the freezing temperatures? How can they find enough food to survive when snow covers their usual food sources? The answers to these questions of course is found in the One who created and fashioned these remarkable birds in the first place. Rapid heart rates keep their bodies at around 105 degrees. Their legs can withstand temperatures as low as 30 degrees. And by fluffing their feathers they can create pockets of air for insulation. As for food, these birds can use food they have stored up during the summer months and have hidden in cavities of certain selected trees, as well as being able to search in groups for any exposed food during the winter. What care God has for even the smallest of creatures! And what astounding love and care he must have for us, the only part of his creation that has willfully and constantly rebelled against him. If God were to give to each part of his creation what it deserves, the chickadees would survive but we would not. Our salvation, indeed our every breath, is a gift of grace. We, who were made in the image of God, have severely distorted that image. We now have value in God's eyes not because of who we are but because of who God is, not because of what we have done but because of what God has done for us in Jesus. It is remarkable to know that we have more value in the eyes of God than the chickadees do. And less reason to deserve it. - John
