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childlike faith, children, earthly parents, entering the Kingdom of God, faith, freedom, God's love, hope, peace, the promised land, trust, trusting God
Blackbird Baby Enjoying the Sun on a Bicycle Pedal
(Photo by Susanne Schuberth)
What does a baby know about tomorrow? Is it really necessary that children who have reliable parents care about their own wellbeing?
I do know that not all earthly parents can be good parents because some have had a bad childhood that made them incapable of perceiving the needs of their own children. And some of you who read this blog even lost your parents when you would be little children yourselves. But you might have become parents of your own and thus you know that parents usually are able to give good gifts to their children as Jesus confirmed,
“What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Lk 11:11-13 ESV)
Well, lately I observed a blackbird hen who behaved rather hectically. She was running to and fro with some worms in her beak by simultaneously trying to protect her baby that had decided to live between the bike parking rack and some plants in our backyard. As I saw the baby for the first time recently, when I pushed up my bike from the basement upstairs, I noted that the baby could not yet fly because its wings had not yet grown. Phew!!! So many human beings here and even cats and martens at times – what a difficult job for those blackbird parents to really keep their children safe!
Today as I left the house again in order to take a bike ride with the Lord, I saw what you too can see in the pic above. The little baby has grown a bit and was enjoying the warming sunrays while sitting on a bicycle pedal. I stood still and thought I could take a pic. Looking with one eye only, the little bird watched me time and again as I came closer and closer. It was so lovely to see how relaxed this little baby was. It did not know what danger is all about…
Thank You, our Daddy in Heaven, for this short but effective lesson about trusting You in all difficult and dangerous circumstances! Amen.
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
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 6:25-26 ESV)
Perfect love casts out fear–and when we depend upon Gods perfect love our fears subside and we become like little baby birds
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Very, very well said, Ken! Thank you for your comment which describes my day with God, i.e., TODAY! 🙂
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Thank you Susanne for sharing our Daddy’s wonderful message to you that is really for all of us… really trusting in our Father for HE cares for us even when our feelings try and tell us otherwise. Amen!
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You’re very welcome, Michael!
May He gives us ALL the trust we need since without Him we cannot achieve anything, can we… 😉
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So true, Susanne. Without Him we are as helpless as that little bird I picked up under one of our fruit trees in the tall grass. I almost sprayed him with weed killer, but Daddy let me see him first and I put him in a safer place. I was so glad to see that me holding him did not traumatize him and put him in shock. It was interesting that he went in the tall grass under another fruit tree in the neighbor’s field and his momma flew right there to him and perched in the tree limb above him as he pecked away in the grass for bugs.
“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?”
What a wonderful Father we have and how sad that we get all anxious about our current situations and miss just how HE is really still there caring for us. It is amazing how He used the same thing to teach us both the same lesson at the same time! STST 🙂
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Yup, STST – same time same thought once again, my brother! Our Father in Heaven is indeed wonderful!!! 🙂
And yes, we ALL get anxious because we are not used to trust in what we cannot see nor grasp with our birdbrain, aka as human reason. 😉
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Yes, Susanne, our human reasoning and fear does more to block us from seeing Daddy as the loving Father He is than we might realize. Oh, to have the simple mind of a bird that has learned to rest in the love and care of the Father in all things. Thank you so much for providing this “second witness” to what He was trying to show me at the same time through another helpless baby bird over 5000 miles away. Without you sharing this on your blog, I would have missed it. You are a true blessing from the Father.
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I am glad you found this little post helpful, Michael.
You know that I have rarely felt some kind of inspiration lately, but as I saw the pics I had taken today, I was immediately reminded of those words….. “they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” Out of the blue I felt God making these words alive through His Spirit (Jn 6:63) so that I thought I could write a short article about it.
It was a real blessing to me, Michael, that you confirmed through your testimony what I wrote on here. And you are a blessing too, you know… 😉
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Amen! God has taught me a lot by watching birds. I’ll never forget how delighted I was to discover Matthew 6:26. When I was younger I used to think it was a bit crazy to read so much into the behavior of birds as if they have spiritual message, so it was quite reassuring to discover scripture does precisely that, too 😉
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Thank you for another confirmation of “the message”, dear Gabrielle! ❤
Indeed, watching nature, animals and plants, has taught me a lot as well. And yes, it’s biblical too – thanks for the reminder! 🙂
God poured out His wisdom when He created everything and we need only open our eyes and hearts so that we can see what is hid before the hurried glance.
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Until I started reading yours and Michael’s blogs I had never been in a position to enjoy reading other people’s mail. But I read all the comments in either of your blogs because it is refreshing to do so.
All praise to God, our Father. The names of God are so wonderful – and perhaps I should not have a favorite. However, I do have a favorite, and it is Father, because of what Father means and how we relate as a child to Him. The privilege of calling the God who made the universe and everything in it, “Father” is beyond my description.
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Oh, dear Pat! ❤ That was a wonderful encouragement, both for Michael and I. Thank you so very much for saying THIS!!! 🙂
You are so right, it is a great privilege to be able to call God our “Father” who cares for us more than for anything else He has created because we are of more value to Him. Imagine that….He created us in His image – only US. Wow!! Leaves me speechless…
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Thanks, Pat. I needed to hear that. It has been another long dry spell for me. God bless you, dear sister!
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Great message, Susanne. Children desperately need two role-model biological parents. All too often today, they get two absentee parents with dueling careers, one of which is likely to be a step-parent. Culturally, we have lost sight of the miracle from God that we call the birth of a child. As a result, we are in a cultural free fall. One day, the Lord will ask us what we did with His miracle. Many people will be terrified by that question. A few will be able to give the Lord the right answer. What do you think?
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Thank you, Lloyd.
Alas, your observation about the situation children today are forced to live in is right,
“All too often today, they get two absentee parents with dueling careers, one of which is likely to be a step-parent.”
As far as I can see it, it might have all begun with the thought of man being the center of his own universe. Also, women today think they need to have the same possibilities and “rights” men have and thus they are struggling to be successful in their jobs, successful as mothers, and good wives too. Maybe, some women are able to do so without neglecting their children. However, the day, still, has only 24 hours and every human being has its own limits of physical and emotional strength. So, I really wonder whether that model might work in the long run…? The still high divorce rates could serve as an indication that this and other “new” role models are not the best blueprint for lasting relationships.
I do not know how it will be like when people are confronted by the Lord as to how they lived their earthly lives. From my own experience I can only say that it is really terrifying to be lighted up with His light that discloses our inmost intentions, but I also know that God only convicts in order to save us through His grace alone. So, I do have hope for this culture’s (eternal) salvation despite its blindness toward the truth. Yet that does not mean that I enjoy seeing children and teens to more and more lose sight of hope and meaning of life. That is truly saddening! 😦
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Susanne, your comment reminds me of a writeup I saw one time about the “Christian Mother of the Year.” She was lauded as being active in the community, active in her church, ran a small business and was the mother of three. Somehow I think that the criteria of being a real mother who spends quality time with her children was not part of the requirements to attain that award.
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Michael, I truly wonder how that mother felt in her heart about having been so “successful” since mothers naturally love their children more than doing other activities which separate them from their kids, esp. when the children are still little ones. A mother’s ❤ is a mother’s <3. Period.
😉
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For a list of reasons, we have migrated from a family-centered culture to a career-centered culture with tragic results. Women are virtually omnipotent in their own home. Not understanding the power of that role, many today would choose to be a virtual slave (to a workplace boss). That’s an observation noted several generations ago by G.K. Chesterton.
I’m reminded of a scene from a movie made in Bollywood, India. A group of young girls were having a conversation with one apparently a bit older. The more mature one said something like, “The men can wield their power elsewhere. But we know that we can crush a man with a look or melt him with a touch. Now, that’s real power! What do you think?
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“Real power”? Hmm… well, that Bollywood quote immediately reminded me of the following Scripture that warns exactly of these demonic powers.
“My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it.” (Prv 5:1-6 ESV)
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Michael, I enjoy the privilege of teaching online classes as well as classroom classes. The first day or so of an online class, students post get acquainted messages. Occasionally, a student proclaims, “I stay home to take care of the kids.” I typically respond as fast as a finger snap, “You don’t stay home to ‘take care of the kids.’ You can pay someone to do that. YOU stay home to RAISE the kids. There’s a huge difference.” The student’s inevitable reply carries a tone of humble agreement.
I also jump all over the term “stay-at-home-mom,” a personal pet peeve. It is woefully incomplete and sounds like the exception, rather than the rule. In today’s culture, it unfortunately probably is the exception. I tell such students to refer to themselves as a “fulltime homemaker.” The term is more comprehensive and more meaningful. Choosing to be a homemaker, not only is a career, it is the most important career in the universe. It is one of the very few careers created by God.
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Thank you for this lovely message. I, too, fear for the little ones of this world. So many fathers have simply abandoned their children. Single mothers have an enormously difficult task, trying to be both mother and father. As you say, Susanne, there are not enough hours in the day.
One dark and rainy afternoon, when I was especially discouraged, I turned a corner downtown and suddenly caught sight of a sparrow. He was sitting on the ground, all by himself, tiny against the backdrop of the buildings. For a moment or two, I just stood there. Then he flew off bravely. And I was reminded His eye is on the sparrow.
With love,
Anna ❤
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You’re most welcome, dear Anna! 🙂
Yes, single mothers are confronted with a difficult, I would even say almost impossible task. I once had a friend, a fellow student, who had to raise her daughter alone because the father didn’t want to have children. I do not know whether it was her real personality, but she – the mother – was a very tough woman with some male traits as well.
Your experience with the little sparrow is so sweet, Anna, I believe that was clearly God speaking to your heart. Thank you for sharing this story with me on here, too.
Much love to you ❤
Susanne
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This was so lovely! I love the picture Susanne and I love birds all of them even if I don’t know their names. I had a similar experience a couple of weeks ago … my cat Lulu gave me a present – a sparrow – a baby ….. jacqui x
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Dear Jacqui, once again I was thinking of you, both when I took the pic and when I posted it since I recall you wrote about that little sparrow on your blog.
In contrast to Lulu, our cat Lily is not even able to kill a fly or an ant because she only plays games with them. 😛
Much love ❤ ❤ ❤
Susanne
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Beautiful bird! I love when God display His love through animals – mothers protecting and nurturing their young ones.
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Thank you very much for your comment, Joseph! 🙂
Indeed, meanwhile we meet one another every day, the bird and I. Just today he made his first attempts to fly and dashed against our garage door and the wall that surrounds the backyard. Alas, both are still too high for him and his short wings. Yet he will make it, finally, I believe. It is a miracle how carefully thought out every living creature has been designed by God. Awesome!!! ⭐
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Medical Mission Sisters from France, I think had a popular song: DOMINIC that
was popular in the USA in the 1970’s. The following is one of my favorites:
DON’T WORRY ABOUT FOOD OR WHAT YOU HAVE TO WEAR,
IS LIFE NOT MORE PRECIOUS BY FAR.
CHRIST CLOTHES YOU WITH HIS IMAGE AND FEEDS YOU
WITH HIS FLESH AND LOVES YOU AS YOU ARE
O LORD YOU KNOW I AM A HUNGRY MAN.
I’VE HAD A CRAVING SINCE BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN,
WHERE SHALL I FIND BREAD TO MAKE MY FILL
AND FEED MY WEAKEN WILL!
LORD, I DRINK BUT THRIST SOME MORE.
I HEAR YOUR LIVING WATER GO RUSHING PAST MY DOOR.
WHERE CAN I FIND WATER TO QUINCH MY THIRST
AND FILL MY SOUL WITH MIRTH.
O LORD, YOU KNOW I’M A PAUPOR BEFORE THE THRONE OF GOD.
MY CLOTHES AR IN TATTERS, MY FEET UNSHOD.
WHERE CAN I FIND DRESS TO CLOTHE MY NAKEDNESS.
O, WHO WILL PUT MY SOUL AT REST.
First, is the chorus, they sing it after each verse
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Beautiful song, Bernie. And so true! Thanks for sharing it on here. 🙂
May He satisfy our craving for MORE of Him until we all can say with Augustine of Hippo,
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
May God enable us to enter His Rest. Amen.
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I do hope your little blackbird fares better than my robin family, Susanne. So many predators out there. And we have one as well. Lord, keep us safe from the Predator of our souls. “My soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowler…”
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Dear Allan,
I do hope the same since today was the first day I have not seen him nor heard him at all. Maybe, he flew away…
Yes, even in our cities there are more and more “natural” predators; not only cats and martens, sometimes even boars. Honestly, I was really shocked as I saw the the pic you took of that destroyed robin’s nest in your garden. 😦
Amen to your prayer!
Satan is an extremely clever “guy” and meanwhile I have come to hate him. How easy it is to get trapped by him, thinking he was God…but NO…. Argh! 😛
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