Reflecting on a Robin's Nest
& living as we were created for
This past spring, I was talking to our duplex-neighbor, Maria, about the increased number of robins that seem to be hanging around, especially on our cars. They’ll sit on the mirror, hop down to the ledge of the window, peer in, and then bounce back up to the mirror. It’s odd behavior to witness, but then I spotted it - a nest in a bush alongside the house. Aha! That’s why they’ve been keeping close. I proceeded to critique the location of the nest. It seems a little low to the ground. It’s not very well hidden.
That’s what distinguishes us, imago dei, from the rest of creation. We are able to think & reason. We have the ability to gain knowledge and are imparted wisdom. And just like any good gift from a good Father, it can be used to glorify Him or it can be stained in sin..
This is a continued series on knowledge & wisdom. Read last month’s essay here:
I Laughed at Death
A couple of months ago, our pastor, Scott, taught on the book of Ecclesiastes, and I thought back to the first time I read those twelve chapters, tucked between Proverbs & Song of Solomon. In many ways, it’s a fascinating read. A man of such power, wealth, influence, wisdom, and he determines that pursuits & desires of this world are meaningless, futile…
At times, I will go about life like a math problem - all I need to do is input the correct numbers into the correct formula. If I think long and hard enough, I’ll come to a concrete, irrefutable answer. Well, if I do x & y, it will result in z. For me, this is most prevalent during loss or tragedy. In a moment of self-preservation, consciously or not, I will take a person’s grief and try to problem solve. Just like that robin’s nest, I turn inward, critiquing from afar. I run through all the “what if” scenarios in my mind and how best to avoid them.
My concern is misplaced.
My thoughts are misdirected.
My heart is misaligned.
The frailty of life is real. We’re reminded of that with every loss, personal or not, but responding in self-interest to another’s only diminishes their sorrow (Phil. 2:3). We make it about pacifying our fears, our worries rather than consoling the downhearted, the low in spirit (Gal. 6:2). We also dishonor God by striving for knowledge, for an explanation. We might say we trust God, but our thoughts & actions say otherwise. They reveal we fear the things of this world more than we fear the One who spoke the world into existence (2 Tim. 1:7).
Later that evening, as I was folding our laundry, I thought how silly of me to critique that robin’s nest, as if I knew better. Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. She may experience loss, but she’s building a nest regardless. And she’s going to do anything & everything she can to bring new life by tending to and protecting her eggs. That’s what she was created for - to glorify & worship the God who created her. And us too - with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Deut. 6:4-5, Mark 12:30).
In his first letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul writes that he didn’t come to them with “lofty speech or wisdom” but rather claimed nothing “except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:1-2). Knowledge is good, but what happens if we surrender the unknown to God & instead intercede for another? To allow our thoughts to honor Him in prayer and petition (Phil. 4:8)? What happens if we just lived as we were created for? To cling to & proclaim the knowledge that not only rescued us from darkness but can save our neighbor as well?