Summer of the Birds

Remember Oscar? The baby mocking bird we rescued in June? 

Well, this is Deborah:

I found her last week in our yard, sitting in the 103F heat, in a super-hot, sunny part of one of our flower beds - obviously not a good situation for a fledgling white-winged dove. 
 
So I again retrieved the hanging basket, refilled it with grass and pine needles, gently placed her in and then hung it in a shady tree. I gave her a small container of water which she greedily drank, but I knew not to feed her. I went inside and waited. 
 
Where were her parents? Would they come back? 

She stayed in the hanging basket all day and through the night, never attempting to get out.
 
By the next morning, I was very concerned about her. I had not seen any of the doves in our vicinity go near her and I wondered if possibly her parents were gone. (Interesting fact: male and female parents both help feed baby doves.)
 
Our vet sent us to a link about how to care for dove fledglings and, as she did not look hurt or in distress, it seemed best to continue watching her.
 
I moved her basket to the ground to see if she'd get out and then, mid-day, I saw two doves sitting on our fence just above her. She waddled out of the basket and began hopping around, even chasing a squirrel around a tree - she had spunk! While she was definitely not flying, under the watchful eyes of her parents I was no longer worried.

Sometimes it may seem that my heavenly Father is not around. That maybe He’s busy and has forgotten me in my loneliness or distress. 

But that is never the case. 

More often, I'm the one who has stepped away from Him, gone out on my own. Maybe I've felt self-sufficient or I'm just impatient with His timing. I can forget that He's the one who leads me and takes care of me.

When I finally find my way back to Him, I realize He's been there all along, caring for me, loving me, watching over me. Our Father is ever-present, never forgetting us, even when we forget Him.

We need Him every minute of every day.

Deborah's parents are watching over her, waiting until the perfect time to teach her what it means to be a bird...
 

(Deborah, one week later)

...just as God is always watching over you, always with you, always ready to give you exactly what you need.

Today is a GOOD day!

Every word of God proves true.
    He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.

~ Prov. 30:5 NLT