We held a Business meeting for the church last night and our chairman, Dan Charlin, did the devotion. He relayed a story about a bird trapped in our sanctuary for a week. Despite efforts to encourage him to leave, it wasn't until he was weak from thirst and hunger and couldn't fly that they were able to guide him to where he belonged.
He talked about how God can use those moments of weakness to bring us to a point where we can receive help. He mentioned how when the bird first flew in there he must of thought he had found the biggest and best bird house in the world. It was warm and safe and looked really cool, but there was a foundational need it wasn't filling. There was no food or water.
What a wonderful analogy that can be used with your children in many ways.
Children covet things all the time: toys, popularity, money, clothes, awards, accolades, etc. However, often the value placed on most things is far greater than actually having it.
In addition, Satan makes the wrong things look very appealing only to pursuade you into a trap that can take you away from being fed by Christians and God. What an even more amazing analogy is that it was a church. Satan uses the things of God to cloud the ugly truth of their origin. People in cults will preach out of the Bible, only to distort and change it, creating confusion.
Another great use of this analogy is how stubborn the bird was to receive the truth or help. He had to reach a broken point to accept help. How many parents allow their children to ride out the consequences of their choices? (Minus anything that can actually physically harm them.) It is our job to warn them if they are about to fly into a situation that is not going to work. However, if they stubbornly refuse to listen to you, allow God an opportunity to teach them and bring them to a more humble place. Swooping in and saving your children from consequences robs them of valuable learning time. This is one of the hardiest things we do. But I bet that bird never flies into that sanctuary again!
Meditate on this analogy. Ask God to reveal to you other valuable lessons to learn from it and share it back with us. Read Matthew 5:6 and contemplate a tie there. Object lessons are the best way for children to learn. Tying life lessons into things they see in everyday life helps the Holy Spirit recall information to them.
Feel free to share any insight or object lessons you have used that I can share with others. We are a village. Let's help each other raise Godly children. Email them to the address below my name or comment back on this blog.
Blessings
Brenda
bherrera@rhcc.net
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