When my boys were younger I would frequently take them to our local park to hit a baseball, throw a football, or play some tennis. During the Fall and Winter months I oftentimes would catch my middle son Owen looking just above the horizon and counting 1….2….3…4. When it first happened it obviously sparked my curiosity so I asked him, “O what are you counting?” “I’m counting nests,” was his reply. As I looked toward the area that peaked his interest I could see numerous bird nests in trees off in the distance. These nests were hidden throughout most of the year due to the leaves on the trees. One would never notice the nests under the Spring & Summer foliage and it's only during the harsh Fall and Winter months that we are allowed a glimpse of the life within.
Now allow me for a second to take a bit of a leap here in equating leaves with the stuff that I like to surround myself with in my life. The most common things that I enjoy and hope for are good health, a good job, a nice house, two cars, and my wife having the ability to purchase clothes whenever she wants. But what happens when those things are taken away? Oh maybe not all of them, maybe it’s just one…or three. I’ve noticed that whenever something that is of value to me has been taken away I am forced to look at life a little differently (depending on what has been taken) and I can truly see what I value and what I’m made of…the life within so to speak. I’m sure you have encountered this as well. There are times when I’ll reflect back on my life and notice that God has had to strip the leaves off my branches as a way of truly revealing the life that is within me. When my stuff (the things that bring me comfort) have been taken away I tend to feel vulnerable and less unsure of myself. Perhaps like birds nesting in a bare tree. The stuff that I have been hiding behind no longer provides me with the security that I value and long for. And I am forced to ponder the question of what does provide me security? What is important to me? What do I really value?
I say all of this because I remember how I used to make weekly visits to 50 yr. old man who was slowly dying of cancer. Within four months he went from weighing a healthy 165 lbs. to when I last visited him a frail 120 lbs. As we talked I asked him what he was most fearful of? Interestingly he said that he wasn’t afraid of dying but that his biggest fear was for his wife and daughter. Who was going to take care of them after he died? I assured him that his family would be taken care of. As his leaves were slowly falling I saw what was important to him, what he valued, and who he was as a person. Interestingly he didn't blame God for his condition, which was a testament of what he believed about God.
What I’ve learned from bird nests and a 50 yr. old dying man is that my hope ultimately cannot and should not lie with the things of this world. I am reminded that my hope instead needs to be on the eternal promises of God. Although there are numerous promises throughout Scripture that I can hang my hat on below are a few of my favorites:
“He will never leave me or forsake me” Heb. 13:5
“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” Rom. 8:28.
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” Rom. 10:9.
So when I am faced with the difficulties of life, my hope is that I maintain an eternal perspective, remember God's promises, and that what is revealed to others is both encouraging to them and glorifying to God. See you next week, Owen and I are going to count nests.
Recommended book to read: "The Search for God and Guinness" by Stephen Mansfield. For those who love both God and a good beer you’ll enjoy reading how the Guinness family (going back to the 1700’s), by living out their Christian faith, have made a huge impact on their world.