Category: Stories of the Desert

“Aren’t five sparrows sold for two cents?
God doesn’t forget any of them.”
Luke 12:6

She poked with her little beak from inside her shell. A glimmer of light peeked in and began to illuminate her dark, protective space. She liked that! Her tiny eyes began to see the only space she knew, and the light beyond, which was calling to her.

Soon she was free, able to fluff her soft down that was drying in the fresh air she was breathing for the first time. She began to try out her wings and learn to spread them out from their long, cramped shell-time. Mama Bird brought a little food, and Little Bird instinctively opened her tiny beak. Yum! She decided to just keep her little beak open . . . ready for the next tasty morsel of food.

Each day, she grew stronger. Her feathers began to appear through the soft down. She
practiced flapping her little wings. Mama brought little bugs and seeds for her. But one day,
Mama didn’t come. Little Bird had to find her own bugs as she waited in her nest.

She remembers the day when Mama came, but with no food. She had decided it was time to send Little Bird out of the nest. It was scary! Her wings did not work very well yet. She had never been out in the air by herself.

Her fall was rather traumatic, but she somehow was able to flap her little wings enough to
soften the blow of the earth upon which she landed. This strange new space upon which she now must learn seemed unending. It was full of interesting, yet scary, new discoveries.
In her fall, one of her little wings had been damaged. She had to learn new skills to compensate for her wounded wing. She couldn’t fly like the other birds. Her flight style was tough. . . She couldn’t soar. She could “flap” and get around her earth space enough to survive, but it was not with the freedom and grace of other birds.

But God’s Eye was on her. He knew of her fall and of the damage it had caused to her. And she knew instinctively that He was keeping watch.

One day, a handsome male bird caught her attention. And she caught his. He was strong. He
was safe. He wanted to make a nest with her. He had chosen her.

At first, it was exciting . . . wonderful . . . lovely. But over time, the damage done by her
premature first flight would get in the way of her ability to soar as other birds did. She had to find ways to compensate. She had to be tough, to make up for the damage done by her fledgling wounds. “Normal” was not easy for her. She was not like most birds of her little world. Her old wounds affected her ability to truly “soar.” But she could flap well… not as gracefully or easily as most, but she learned to compensate enough to make her life work.

Her damaged wing would never be completely mended, but she was still the same little bird who had freed herself from her shell. She was strong. She could fly, in her own unique way.
She was still that little bird who had survived and learned how to compensate for the wounds she carries. And one day, as she continues to battle her limitations, she may truly be able to soar, in her own unique way.

“”The Father had put everything in Jesus’ control.
Jesus knew that.
He also knew that He had come from God and was going back to God.
So He got up from the table,
Removed His outer clothes, took a towel and tied it around His waist.
Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet
and dry them with the towel He had tied around His waist.”
John 13:3-5

Do you know who you are? . . . Who you truly are? In our world, there is quite a lot of focus
on self-discovery. Self-image. Self-worth. Human dignity. Coming to personal clarity about the answers to those questions is important. That clarity has an impact on how we choose to live out our lives.

Looking at Jesus’ example, though, throws a perspective that, in my mind, does not at all fit
human logic. In human thinking, someone who has “come from God” and “was going back to God” would be miles above and ahead of mere mortals. He would be far above human
intelligence, abilities, status and power. He would be the one being served . . .at the highest
levels.

But immediately following the statement of Who He was, what His power encompassed, and the future position He would hold, He walked away from His position, removed His human personal identity, and replaced it with a servant’s towel. He not only looked the part of a servant, but He did what a good servant would do. One by one. Taking the time. . . foot by dirty foot . . . wiping away the dust and dirt that gets between toes and in the nails and rough calluses of feet that have been walking on the dusty, dirty ground of this earth. The bowl of water is on the ground.

The foot-washer is kneeling on the ground in front of you. You are seeing the water become
cloudy and dirty from what is being removed from your feet. You are feeling the hands that are touching, holding, and wiping . . . even between those rough, calloused, dirty toes . . .

There is nothing pleasant nor simple about the process the “foot-washer” carries out.
But the Hands that are doing the work are such a beautiful Gift. Truly a tangible act of love and care.

I had an experience in the desert refugee camps that I will never forget. Totally exhausted, I
had sat down on the floor of the tent, leaning against a hard cushion propped against the “wall” of the tent, and fallen into a sound sleep. I remember slowly becoming aware of my foot being cradled in a gentle hand, and cool water being tenderly wiped across my foot…between my toes, ….around my nails. One foot . . . and then the other.

One of the women of our team was kneeling at my feet as I slept, with a basin of clean water and a soft cloth. As I slowly drifted back to awareness, the tender act of kindness and care was like nothing I had ever experienced before. It was too wonderful to protest. The harshness of the desert . . . the exhaustion of this world . . . all faded away as those gentle hands wiped away the evidence that clung to my skin.

It was a soft Kiss from Heaven to my soul. Jesus does that for us, if we let Him.
So grab a towel . . . and a basin of fresh water. Down on your knees . . . touch your world.

“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
They will run…and not grow weary,
They will walk…and not faint.”
Psalm 62:5

I live very near to a large pond that is full of fish. Now…before you fishermen get too excited, I need to tell you that there is a prominent posting that reads “Catch and Release” only. However, there is a large eagle which perches on the very top of a tall evergreen tree.
That guy is not following the rules.

His high, treetop perch appears to be quite unsteady, to my eyes. It’s a scrawny,
crooked little branch, but strong enough to hold Mr. Eagle’s weight as he looks down on
the pond. He sits motionless . . . and watches. He waits.

And then, he swoops down to the glassy water’s surface, and with a little splash picks
up a fish. Then away he soars. I could not see what he was seeing. From my view, I
could only see the reflections of sky and trees on the water’s surface. I’m down on the
level of the pond. He was looking down from his high skinny tree top.

Mr. Eagle has broken the rule. He “caught.” But he did not release. He brought
“home” what he needed in order to be strong . . . what he needs to be able to soar.
And he was also likely going to share his “catch” with some little “peeps” in a nest.

God created that eagle to be able to soar. He created us to soar with Him. . . like
eagles. He wants us to walk with Him. He wants us to run with Him. The key is that we
focus on and move with Him. The distractions, the fears, the worries and
disappointments must not take our focus off of Him. We can sit on the tree top and see
what He has for us, but if we never leave the safe branch we’re on, we’ll miss out on
what He has in mind for our lives. We’ll miss out on all that He has provided for our own
good, and the good of others whose lives we touch.

So don’t sit on that tree top admiring all the potential right in your own backyard. Go for
it. Take the leap. . . Fly!!!

“A bruised reed He will not break, and A smoldering wick He will not snuff out.”
Isaiah 42:3

I was about 14 years old, and not doing well. In those days, (yes…long ago), people did not talk much about depression. . . certainly not for Christians to experience. And certainly not
concerning a young teenager.

But I was very, very sad. I spent lots of time in my bedroom, with the door shut and alone. I
was a “PK” . . . a Pastor’s Kid. I had known Jesus’ presence in my life since I was about 3 years old. I knew that He was in my heart, and that He loved me. But I was not doing well at all, not understanding the sadness that was filling my heart and mind.

I remember sitting down on my bed, and picking up my Bible. It was a very familiar Book for
me, and I knew that God was always near, and that He would always listen to me when I talked to Him.

But I was going through a very dark time in my young life. . . for the first time. I did not doubt His love for me. I did not doubt that He was as near to me in my sadness and in my very room. I had never experienced such an overwhelming emotion of sadness and hopelessness before. There were things going on in my personal world that were making me feel things I had not felt before.

I remember silently saying to God something like, “God, I don’t know what to do with the deep sadness I am feeling. But I know that I very much need to hear something from You to stop this dark feeling in my heart. I need Your Help!”
I let my Bible fall open on my lap as I sat on the edge of my bed. The page that was before me was not from a familiar place in my Bible. My eyes fell on a verse I did not remember ever hearing before.

“A bruised reed He will not break,
And a smoldering wick
He will not snuff out.”
Isaiah 42:3

As I read the verse through my tears, I knew that I was that “bruised reed”, and I was that
“smoldering wick.” And I knew that there was only a tiny glimmer of light, a dying wick that held any hope for me.

But it was enough of a glimmer for God to so gently breathe into life. It was enough for Him to work with, tiny as it was. It was enough to reassure me that He was in my room with me. He saw me. He saw that tiny wick about to go out. No shame. No “tsk-tsk” about my sadness. And with the gentlest of a Whispered Breath, that little speck of flame began to glow again. I knew He was so very near. . . and He was not going to let it die. It was enough for the waning ember to return to a small flame. . .

The bruised reed began to mend. The tiny glimmer began to glow. And neither have ever
again been so near to being snuffed out since that Day, long ago, when God came so very
near.

“ . . . Yet God was not pleased with most of them, so their dead bodies were scattered over the desert.”
1 Corinthians 10:5

A rather unsettling verse, don’t you  think?   The “surprise ending” of that verse made me want to go back and read what came just before it.

Here’s what directly preceded this jolting verse written by Paul:

• “They were united with Moses by baptism in the Cloud and in the sea.  
• All of them ate the same spiritual food 
• and all of them drank the same spiritual drink.  
• They drank from the spiritual Rock that went with them, and that Rock was Christ.  
• Yet God was not pleased with most of them, so their dead bodies were scattered over the desert.”   (personal comment:  What a zinger ending line!!! Hadn’t seen that coming!))

The wandering million of God’s people were finally free of Egypt’s slavery.  They were headed to their Promised Land, under the leadership of God’s Man, Moses.  They were all walking the same path. . . eating the same food . . . trudging through the same hot sand  . . . adhering to the same rules, customs and Laws, and hearing the same messages that Moses relayed to them from God Himself.  

By all appearances, they were all part of the same “group” . . . the same “family of God.”

They followed the same rules, walking the same route, under the same leadership.  They even all wore the same clothes (unfortunately for most of the women, I would imagine!)  And this went on for 40 years!!

As we know, they did eventually come to their Promised Land and became a Nation / a People of God Himself.  

But their story contains all of the raw realities of Sin’s influence . . . even in God’s own, beloved people. Even if you’re clearly part of the group.  They had left Egypt, but godless Egypt had not left their minds and hearts.  You may be blended in well with the People of God, but God isn’t so concerned with how well you are doing in the crowd.  He is looking at your mind and heart.