Lessons
from a seagull !
During my recent
holiday in Looe whilst visiting Cornwall, I came across this lady feeding some seagull
chicks in one of the older parts of the town. . I stopped, fascinated , as I hadn’t seen baby seagulls close
up before, except for the few I’d seen earlier that day , nesting on the rooftops of the houses nearby. We had a
chat about why she was doing this and she was delighted to spend a
few minutes with me. She told me that these chicks, together with many others
, frequently slid off the steep
rooftops. Some landed safely and appeared unhurt , whilst others die or, like one of these, suffer a broken leg or other
injuries. She also happily explained
that these three were still regularly visited and cared for by the mother , whereas two
others close by were orphans and had been abandoned by both parents ( apparently the male seagull has no further
interest in the chicks once they fall from the nest --- how sad!) It was lovely
to see the orphans actually trying to feed each other ! She also said that they
were in constant danger from cats in the district , though home owners were
aware of this and did all they could to prevent
them from attacking. I was then
reliably informed that when they were able to fly, these young birds would be led by the mother to the
crèche !! Yes the crèche! The crèche was part of the river bank a short
distance upstream where all the youngsters were cared for as a group .
This reminded me of
the love, patience and care God has for us. It reminded me that :-
- God created every living creature!
19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground
all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to
the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living
creature, that was its name.
What fun Adam must
have had naming these creatures he had never seen before !. There must have
been thousands, yet each was given a unique
name ! Maybe he saw white and black
birds squawking nearby and noticed that they returned to the sea and named them
seagulls, who knows ? Did he have to avoid their droppings one wonders ? Did he
think them a nuisance? Seagulls get bad press, don’t they, yet that’s largely
due to the amount of seagull-enticing food we
eat so near their territories !
- We are more precious than the birds!
26 Look at the birds of the air;
they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father
feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Since I’ve recently moved from town to countryside
it’s been a thrill to see such a variety
of birds attracted to the bird feeders in the trees; robins, blue tits, great
tits, sparrows, blackbirds, thrushes and more, birds that I’d never seen at all during the 40 or so years Iived in
more urban areas ! They are so
wonderful, daily parading their gorgeously feathered attire, a joy to watch,
pecking at the nuts, ravenously gobbling up seeds and fat balls. Jesus says
they’re valuable ! But we are more valuable than these and if we trust Him
He will provide all that we need .
7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are
all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows
- God cares as much as a nursing mother.
Isaiah 49:15 God:
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of
her womb? Even these she may forget, yet I will not forget you.
The
image of the mother seagull visiting her fallen young chicks, then, when they are recovered and strong enough to lead them off to safety, will stay with me for a very long time. It is
the same parenting love that God has for his children, especially those who are
newborn! He will not leave them as orphans but rather hide them under the
shadow of His wings ! Psalm 91v4 ‘ NIV
‘He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.’
‘He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.’
7 But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherishes her children:
The apostle Paul was most concerned that as leaders ( or any who are
helping young believers) we must be gentle in the way we handle the spiritual
growth of others. They need special attebtion, led, if you like, to the
‘crèche’ of the Lord until they are strong enough to stand , flee the nest and
go out into the world as witnesses and ambassadors for Christ, strong in the Lord and the strength of His might !
