April 16, 2010
Mirage
Sharon Jaynes
Today's Truth
"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened" (Romans 1:21 NIV emphasis added).
Friend To Friend
Flutter. Flutter. Bang! Flutter. Flutter. Bang! Momma and Papa Bluebird danced in front of our sunroom windows, trying frantically to break through the glass barrier. Time and time again, they banged their feathered heads against the panes. What were they pursuing? Where were they trying to go? What had caught their eye? Why were they so persistent? I wanted desperately to help them solve their dilemma, but I could not figure out what the dilemma was.
After three days of this featherbrained, frenzied activity, I decided to put myself in their position, get a bird's eye view, and examine the situation from their perspective. I stepped out onto the patio, stood in front of the windows, and there it was. In the reflection of the glass was mirrored their birdhouse, some thirty feet behind me.
Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird's lovely cedar shingled home with a decorative finial sat on a tall pole nestled under the protective branches of an old oak tree. Their bed and breakfast came equipped with an adjoining spa - a concrete birdbath surrounded by fragrant rose bushes, bursting with red blossoms and a carpet of white annuals. Instead of being satisfied with their high-rise estate, they were banging their heads against the pane, striving for a mirage, a mere reflection.
Amazingly, a few times they turned around, soared to their home, and crawled through its opening for a reprieve. But before long, they were dive bombing into the glass again, trying to gain entrance into an illusion of something better.
This made me think of my own life and the many times I go flutter, flutter, bang, flutter, flutter, bang, striving for something that is just a cheap imitation of God's perfect provision for my life. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans that I have for you, to prosper you, and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope."
And yet I argue, "Yeah, I know that God. I know You've provided me with this home and this job and with these particular gifts. But, well, I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything, but I reaaaaly would be happy if You'd give me a house like Mary's over there. And you know Beth, well I reaaaaly would be happy if you made me a Bible teacher like she is. And you know Teresa? If I could just be as sweet as she is, I'd be satisfied. Then there's Laura. Now God, she has the prettiest blond silky hair. Could I just have hair like hers? Don't get me wrong, Lord. I do appreciate what You have given me, but if I could just have …"
Well, you get the picture.
Flutter. Flutter. Bang! Flutter. Flutter. Bang!
The banging birds may have knocked themselves silly, but they also knocked some sense into my hard head. God has provided me with everything I need. As David, the psalmist wrote, The Lord is my Shepherd, I don't need anything! I can flutter about looking at the mirage of happiness in other people's windows, or I can nestle down in contentment and not get my feathers ruffled trying to get more. The way to keep from fluttering around from one mirage of happiness to the other is to stay close to home and be satisfied with my own nest, feathers, and chicks. I've learned that I'm most content when I'm at home in the Father's will, nestled in His protective branches, perched on the pole of His standard, nurtured by the Living water of His fountain, cleansed in the laver of the Holy Spirit, and beautified by the fragrance of the Rose of Sharon. And as Dorothy of Kansas once said, "There's no place like home."
Let's Pray
Dear Heavenly Father, forgive me when I complain about what I don't have and when I am not thankful for what I do have. Help me not to be like the people mentioned in Romans chapter one who "did not give thanks." I do thank You for all the blessings You have poured out in my life. I love You so much.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
Now It's Your Turn
How thankful are you today for the blessings and provisions of God?
Consider writing Him a thank-you note. Let me get you started.
Dear God,
I want to thank You for …
More From The Girlfriends
Don't you just love how God speaks to us through nature? If you would like to learn more about how to listen to God's still small voice in your daily life, see Becoming a Woman who Listens to God by Sharon Jaynes. And if you would like a book filled with inspirational stories, check out Sharon's daily devotion book, Extraordinary Moments with God.
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Originally published Friday, 16 April 2010.
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