By Pastor Mark Hopper

In my last article, I shared about our encounter with the small bird that flew into our car when we were leaving a cabin in Arrowhead.  Little did I know that there was another bird waiting for us when we got home later that day.

As we were unpacking our car in Diamond Bar, we heard some noise in our yard outside our kitchen window.  A small bird was on the ground calling for help.  The mother bird was nearby scolding and encouraging her little one to get up and get going.

But the little guy just couldn’t figure it out.  It would stretch its wings and try to fly but only got a few inches off the ground.  It may have fallen out of the nest or the mother may have pushed it out, but it could not get back up.

Our first impulse was to go out and rescue the baby bird.  We knew it was in danger stranded on the ground.  It was sad to see it struggle and unable to get back to safety in the tree.

But, when we checked on Google, we learned that it was not uncommon for a baby bird to be unable to fly and that it might take several days to get the strength to get off the ground.

The key was the mother.  The article said that if the mother continued to bring food, it was best to leave the baby bird alone and give it time to get going.

The mother bird got an “A+” in caring for her little one.  She kept coming back and bringing food for five days!  Yes – five days.  Now that is commitment!  We discovered the bird on the ground on Monday and it stayed on the ground all week.

At night it would huddle in the corner of our yard.  It looked so tiny and helpless.  But, every morning, the mother bird was back with fresh worms and other delicacies.  She never gave up.

I was surprised at how much the baby grew in those five days.  It looked stronger and healthier each day.  We hoped that it would be safe and survive in our yard until it could fly.

The mom kept bringing food and encouraging her little one.

Finally, on Friday evening I discovered the baby bird in the next door neighbor’s yard.  On Saturday, the baby bird and its mother were gone.  We think all of her hard work had paid off.

This adventure reminded me of a passage in the Bible in Matthew 6:25-27, where Jesus taught His followers to not worry about what they will eat or drink.  He said, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not plant or harvest or store food in barns and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than them?”

This is a helpful reminder that God promises to provide our needs.  We can rely on Him.  We are like the helpless baby bird and He is like the hard working mother bird caring for her little one.

This is not a license to be lazy.  We are expected to work and do what we can to provide for our needs and the needs of those around us.  But, ultimately we are dependent on God.  He cares for you.  He knows your needs.  And He will provide when you are “on the ground and can’t get up”!

Pastor Mark Hopper is from the Evangelical Free Church of Diamond Bar, 3255 South Diamond Bar Blvd.  Sunday services are 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.  For more information, call (909) 594-7604 or visit Efreedb.org.