Out of the Nest

It is a beautiful morning and I’m going outside. Want to come along? On the front walk we notice something lying in our path. What is it? A baby bird! you say. Poor thing—it’s dead. Yes, it looks like a baby robin. What do you think happened? Did the cat catch it? you ask, bending over to look. No, I think it fell from the tree. We both look up. Where do you think its nest is? All we can see are leafy branches swaying in the wind. There must be a nest up there somewhere, where the little robin was hatched.

I wonder how it fell out of its nest? Maybe it wanted to try to fly, you suggest. It’s way too little for that—see, its eyes aren’t even open, and it only has tiny pin feathers! The only safe place for a baby robin is in its nest. Now this one is dead and we will have to throw it out. Will its mommy and daddy feel sad that it died? you wonder, as we toss the dead bird into the bushes. I don’t know if they will notice that one of their babies are missing, but we do know that God notices. He sees everything, even when birds fall (Matthew 10:29).

God has a lesson to teach us from this little bird. You see, the mommy and daddy bird carefully built their nest to keep their little robins safe. But this little bird died because it didn’t stay in the nest. Do you think God has made a special place for you to stay and be safe? You nod your head. I’m safe in my house with my mommy and daddy. Yes, and most of all you are safe when you obey them, because that is how God planned for children to grow up. What if you think you have better ideas than your parents—or try to do things when they aren’t looking? I’ll get in trouble, you say. Yes. It might not look like you’ll get in trouble at first, but watch out! As soon as you stop obeying, you are in danger. The Bible warns us: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”* (Proverbs 16:25)

Let’s think about the robin’s nest for a moment. It is made of pokey sticks and mud. Would you want to live in such a small place for days and days? You shake your head no. But that is the only place that a robin can grow up safely. And if you want to grow up safely, you must obey your parents. The rules and work that they give you may seem hard sometimes, but it is best for you. Even if others seem to have an easier time or get to do more things than you, remember this promise: “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”* (Deuteronomy 5:16) God has good plans for your life. Will you trust Him and obey?