One of the things I’ve noticed in the past several years after moving back to my roots in the Midwest, and recently moving to a more rural area with a lake and farmland nearby, that I didn’t notice before, is that by watching birds I realized they were created to be mentors for parents.
“What?” you say. That’s right. Ever notice, even during incubation, how committed the mother and father bird are to making sure their offspring will be taken care of? And then after the eggs hatch how industrious they are to nourish and nurture their young? One of the parents is always making sure the hatchlings are warm, fed, and observing them as they gather food, feed them, and fly about the nest.
These young birds are being taught from their earliest days what is important in order to make it through life. You never see the young ones questioning their parents or disagreeing with them. Why? Could it be they understand that in order to make it past the nest they will have to learn from those much wiser than they? These young birds seem to be focused, not spending their time needing to be entertained or distracted by the unrealities of life (such as “reality TV” so many humans watch these days).
And then, when it’s time for their young to exercise their wings, the parents don’t give that responsibility over to other birds. They take that responsibility very seriously. They know that soon their young ones will be leaving the nest for good and want them to take that which will make their lives successful.
I’ve never had a mother or father bird tell me as much verbally, but I’m sure that their main motivation for spending so much quality time wanting to develop a strong bond with their young is so that they will return to the nest now and then for a visit. And why do I know this to be true? It’s because I have witnessed firsthand, over several spring seasons, nests that have been built under our house’s back deck, and the young returning to the family nest now and then for a visit after learning to fly.
Another reason is because the parents want to make sure that their young will someday be able to pass on the teachings that they hold dear, teachings that a loving and all-knowing Creator gave them.
Are any of your young ones leaving the nest soon? What have they observed you doing or saying? Will it be what they need in order to make it in an ever challenging and changing world? You may want to follow up your training by using the strongest power available in the universe—prayer.
