The Bird

In the Sates it is offensive to show someone the bird.  Even more so here when you see a large REAL bird stare you in the eye it is a harbinger of doom.  This very thing happened last week at our home.  I was teaching Ireen in our homeshool room when Grace, my house-helper, called out to me to come and see something outside.  There standing just off our front porch was a large hawk just starring at us.  Grace said she had tried to shoo it away but it simply didn’t respond.  My first reaction was, “Wow, what kind of bird is that?”  Then I ran inside to get my camera but as I was taking its picture the bird flew off.

Later I went into the kitchen to chat with Grace about the incident.  I wanted to know how she interpreted the appearance of such a bird.  Grace is a believer and doesn’t believe that such omens are more powerful than God’s protection.  Never-the-less, she had prayed over the bird while it was on our porch.  I suggested we pray again together and remind ourselves that nothing happens outside the will of God in our lives.

The next day when Grace “pitched up” for work, she had bad news…she got a call that night that her Auntie had died.  Honestly, I didn’t even think about the bird until later that day.  I asked her if she thought the bird had anything to do with the death of her Auntie.  She did.  I encouraged her to stay strong through this test of her faith believing that God is who he says he is in the bible.

The cultural pressure believers come under is incredible.  The tendency is to believe God only as long as that “works”.  When it doesn’t people will fall back on what they know…in this situation, a traditional annimistic belief system.  But, isn’t it the same no matter where we are?  Americans have their trappings as well.  Money is reliable, retirement is what we invest in, physical security trumps all, and how we are viewed in the eyes of others is what drives us.  If we’re putting our ulimate hope in these things, we’re not really trusting in God, are we?