Mouth Wide Open

It is late Saturday morning and I am sitting on my porch swing.  I should be well on my way into errands and chores etc but I am not.  I stayed up late reading, slept late and I wanted to start my day with some coffee on my porch swing and an attempt at bible reading.  However I have become distracted  and an hour later with not much bible study done I am still sitting on the swing.  I am mesmerized by a nest on the porch and the activity around it.

For many years now, some birds have built a nest on the top of one of my porch pillars.  This past spring a bird pair came in building its usual nest bringing activity of anticipation.  I noticed pretty quickly that the activity ceased and thus concluding that things must not have worked out.  A month or two later I realized that new tenants had come in and "flipped the nest" adding extensions.  I begin to notice a pair of birds coming and going.  This was a different type of bird.  I don't remember who I though the usual occupants had been but through discussion with mom and a couple of others the current owners  appear to be house wrens. For the past few days I noticed the intensity of activity around the nest was increasing.  Last night during a porch gathering with a couple of friends, we concluded there were babies, definitely two maybe three.

This morning I have been watching the activity from my swing.  Every so often an adult bird flies in with something in the beak, stays a minute or so and leaves.  I have heard a fair amount of chatter from the nearby bushes as well as from the nest. What has me entranced though is what happens when the adults are gone.  I am not certain how many babies remain today but I know there is at least one.  This is because I keep seeing this one little bird head with mouth wide open hanging out of the nest, waiting.  For a bit he will pop down into the nest and then here comes again with that wide open beak.

                     

So even as I have been writing, mom and dad are coming in with provisions.  I do think my presence on the swing may be causing a bit of anxiety.  I have also identified with the parentals arrival that there are at least two babies actively partaking in the feeding frenzy. I wish you could hear the chatter going on around me as I sit here watching.

It is fascinating.  The thing that strikes me is this one little baby bird who sits there with mouth open in anticipation even when the parents aren't near.  Maybe he can hear them but for all appearance you have this little bird, mouth wide open just waiting in great expectation.  I hear the line of that praise song in my head, "hear I am Lord, mouth wide open."  Then I realize I think the words are arms wide open and I giggle.  

I keep thinking about Jesus' words in Matthew 6:26 "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."  Then I find myself wondering what that baby bird is thinking.  Is he worried?  Is he anxious about the next parental visit with food? Or is he just doing what he is suppose to do, waiting expectantly, mouth wide open trusting it will come.

I am inspired by my little bird friends, especially the one who seems to be practically hanging out of the nest without fear, mouth wide open, even when food is not in site.  The little bird isn't looking for something in the nest to eat.  He isn't counseling with the other babies about what to do if mom and dad don't show up.  He is simply ready and waiting with great expectation.  I wonder what it would look like if I lived that way?  If instead coming up with plan B's and looking around in my little limited world for provisions, if I was always looking out and up waiting upon the Lord Jesus Christ to give me what I need for the next moment.