Left Behind

Spring has ushered life into the Texas countryside. The beauty is staggering and lush. The pastures seem to be bulging with life in every way - from the intense, colorful flowers to the squeaky chorus of newly hatched birds under their mother's wings.

Indeed, birds are everywhere.

In the last several weeks, I've taken note of quite a few nests either stocked with little eggs already or being intentionally constructed by a mother bird in anticipation of a new brood.

One is above the door still of the office, another right underneath the hood of our propane tank and a third one in the tray atop my sons' jogging stroller.

I took my son for a walk in this stroller on Monday. By Wednesday this nest was securely in place. That's fast work!

It's another nest that is in the flowerpot by the back door that's bothering me, though. Several weeks ago there were no less than 5 speckled eggs in this pot, freshly laid and nearly hidden by strategically placed twigs and branches. Once my husband and sons spotted them, they called me out for a peek. We marveled and tried not to touch them for fear the mother would catch our scent and abandon her chicks.

So, we left them alone and all but forgot about them. 

Until one day last week when I peeked in and moved a branch back just enough to get a glance inside the wooded haven.

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Where did the others go? Did the mother take her eggs away to another location? (Can they even do that?) Did they all hatch and mature enough to fly away already? Had this egg been left by it's mother or did it just not hatch because of some genetic mishap?

I've left the egg there for over a week now wondering and hoping if one day I'll return and see it surrounded by its family - safely connected and loved.

It doesn't look like it's going to happen, though.

Somehow, someway - he's been left behind.

 

I've been left behind before. You?

I've got a few memories involving rejection from the varsity cheerleading squad in middle school, the "in" crowd in high school and my boyfriend in college to name just a few. No matter how difficult it is for me to come by an explanation for why some of these instances happened, this I know for sure, it hurt and it hurt bad.

But somehow, I recovered . . . . and so will you . . . . because I was never left alone even when I was left behind.

 

I don't think the momma bird is coming back for this abandoned egg but I can say with all assurance that Someone is coming - has already come - for you.

You may be left behind but you'll never be left alone.

Never abandoned.

Never rejected.

. . . . never.

 

Priscilla

. . . . under His wings you may seek refuge . . . . - Psalm 91:4