Prepare to Launch

Every year I buy my one lonely huge fern for Spring.  You see I have only 2 living plants all year long & this is my seasonal plant.  It really makes me feel happy & productive.  By Fall I feel that it is time for the fern go.  Usually the frost gets it.  Part of my fern's ritual every year is the enjoyment of seeing the process of birds building a nest in the fern, to seeing the baby birds leave the nest.  I have never seen the baby birds actually launching from the nest until...

I was in AR the end of April, seeing the children of course.  My grandchild was being dedicated to the Lord by her parents at the church that weekend.  So special.  I was at my daughter's home when she called me to come look out of one of her windows.  Out of the window it had a big, bushy, full tree with a blue jay bird's nest in it.  No fern for her.  Anyway, it happened to be launch day for these baby birds.  They were so cute as they bounced out of there nest hopping all over the branches & even on the ground.  They would chirp to their parents.  It seemed like they were saying "Look at me, see how far I am."  You could see the parents close by watching there every move.  All of a sudden you would see a parent with food in its mouth & the baby bird would start hopping down the branch back to the nest chirping "Save some for me".  By the end of the day, they were all gone to begin their new season of life.

A couple of weeks later my husband began a job search process by sending out some resumes.  Six weeks later it was a done deal.  Definitely a God thing.  My husband was desiring a career change, while we were both desiring to move closer to the children.  Now, we live about 11 hrs away.  We thought a 4 hour radius from where the children live would be good, not for our benefit but for theirs.  Kind of like the episode on the "Everybody Loves Raymond" show when Ray & Debra were trying to buy a house which ended up across from the street of his family.  Anyway, the children told us if we were going to move then move to Little Rock.  Not this half way stuff.  The possibilities of that seemed impossible in our minds since the need of this type of job was not very promising.  Would you believe the first responder to my husband's resume was a perfect fit for us & his partner.  It was to good to be true.  Plus, the job was in North Little Rock.  God is good.

During the six week job hunt process, I heard my husband say something like "God is clearly plucking our nest."  This really was a profound statement, especially after what I just saw with the baby bird launch two weeks earlier.

What is interesting is when you believe that God is in control & then wonder when a long, hard season of life will ever end or at least get a little bit easier.  God showed me through the parent bird that He is there taking care of my need & desire.

Rarely, does God allow me to look back & glean from the plucking process; but I can see His Hand especially through this difficult season.  It is all beginning to make a little sense, now.  I see that God wants us to build a nest, & grow within it.  When the nest gets to snug or tight, it might mean that He has been preparing you for a new launch out & enjoy a new season of life.  I must say, it is true for us.
                                             ann :)