At the side of our farm house, there were two majestic silver maple trees that were as high as the peak of the roof. Their shade covered the veranda through the hot days of summer.

Each summer, we had many different songbirds that helped us to appreciate God's music in nature. One year, a Baltimore Oriole built her sock-like hanging nest in one of the maples. What a joy to watch the nest develop high up in the tree. She wove grass and hair together, and, finally, the hanging basket was finished and family rearing could begin.

One night, we went to bed with the sound of rain and strong wind in our ears. Looking out the window, we could see leaves blowing off the trees. I said a little prayer for the Oriole, but we could do nothing to help. We had to wait till morning. God sees even the sparrow fall.

In the morning, our dog Buster took John and me to the nest that had fallen onto the lawn with four baby birds, all living. We could not see or hear the mother bird. I got a basket with fresh grass to put the little ones in for protection while I repaired the nest. I used string from the store and wove it in through the nest, mindful of making the handle more secure.

The babies started to call to mother and dad for help. To our delight, the parents soon showed up in the tree. When the nest was repaired, John got the high stepladder and hung the nest with babies up in the tree as far as he could reach. We watched that little family grow and fly south for winter. Baltimore Orioles nested in that maple tree for four summers.

The Orioles survived because we rescued and strengthened their nest. Other storms came, but the nest weathered the battering because it was stronger and able to hang on the tree limb.

Orioles live a fragile life, but mankind lives a fragile one, too. Jesus gave warning when He said that we must watch what we build our lives on:

Matthew 7:24-25 – Everyone then who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a sensible man who builds his house on the rock. Down came the rain and up came the floods, while the winds blew and roared upon that house — and it did not fall because its foundations were on the rock. (Phillips)

We need to put our trust and faith in the message of the gospel. Jesus Christ took on Himself the punishment of our sin on Calvary. The material for building a godly life is what God has written for His children in holy Scripture. We are to encourage fellow believers as we walk each day.

We need to ask ourselves, What is the foundation of my life? Am I securely planted on the rock, Jesus Christ? Do I depend on the things of this earth that are here today and gone tomorrow, or are my building materials the Holy Spirit and the truths of Scripture?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to live out the truths that we find in Your Word that enable us to grow as Your children. Help us to show Jesus Christ to others. Amen.

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About the author:

Ruth Rowe <ruthjohn.rowe@gmail.com>
Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada
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