Storm on the Robin's Nest
Hold on babies!
Matthew 10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. (30) And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. (31) So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
I pray for my robins often—they are like a personal gift, as I shared yesterday. I know that God cares about all of His creatures, and Jesus mentioned sparrows in the Sermon on the Mount to demonstrate that we are worth more than many sparrows, and I am pretty sure that includes robins!
I don’t think the digital ink was completely dry on my robin story yesterday when we suddenly had a ferocious microburst with hard rain, thunder, hail, and high winds.
I was so worried about my newly sprouted garden veggies and my tall sunflowers, letting my fearful dog inside, and the thunder booming so that my teeth rattled—that I didn’t remember to look in on the robins until after the deluge.
My heart sank. If you look at yesterday's post, you can see the nest was nice and level. Here’s a video of the chicks I took yesterday just before the sudden storm.
But this is what the nest looked like right after the heavy rain.
I was angry and upset. I thought the nest was destroyed and the chicks drowned.
I felt so guilty—as if I could have done a thing to help them that they could have accepted. I forgot to pray for them during the rain, and like so many believers, I took on guilt that went like this: since I forgot to remind God to care for that which He already cares, somehow, I was responsible for this failure.
I kept checking for signs of life.
Not five minutes into my vigil, the sun had come out, and I stepped outside and saw the joyful sight of Mama standing on the edge of the nest with fresh worms for her young’uns. I actually shed a tear of relief.
The edge of the nest is tilted up from my viewpoint so that I can’t see the babies, but if Mama was there to feed and to brood, then I trust she knows her business.
This morning I must salute several amazing facts.
God endowed the robin with sense, instinct, and an intrepid soul; I’ve no doubt the mama sat on her nest and covered her chicks throughout the storm—I think this is true because I’ve seen her sitting on the nest while the sprinklers were going, and she had that funny messy hairdo robins get after the rain, but she was unperturbed.
The robin is keeping her brood warm, tilted nest and all.
The nest is very well anchored and might withstand one or two more such storms, though I hope this isn’t put to the test.
So, I give my thanks to God for bringing them through the storm and teaching me so many things through the robins that nest in my rose bushes.