What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?

What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
Remember: "When God closes a door, He always opens a window!" You never know what might be out there waiting for you!

Monday, June 11, 2012

The Serpent in the Garden

"Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.."  Genesis 3:1a.

I've just had one of those sad lessons from nature tonight.  Recently I posted a blog entitled "After the Rain~ New Signs of Growth" and included a picture of a mother cardinal sitting on her nest.   I have been watching her progress from a little distance, not wanting to disrupt the natural course of events.  Tonight I couldn't help but notice that the baby bird had definitely hatched, as he was sitting up in the nest calling for his mother to come feed him.  I was able to get a couple of pictures of him with my telephoto lens, watching out of the corner of my eye for the mother bird to come swooping down on me and chase me away.  When I heard the father chirp chirp chirping nearby, I quietly stepped away and went on about my business. 
Baby Cardinal in the nest, chirping for it's mama.





He was so fuzzy and cute!

If you look closely you can see the Blue Gray Gnatcatcher, a
female Cardinal, and a red flash of a male Cardinal in the tree.
A few minutes later I came back out into the yard because the birds were making such a racket...mama and daddy Cardinal and aunts and uncles too...they were all fussing and squawking and flying all around the nest, hopping up and down and generally having quite the fit over this baby bird, or so I thought.  I stayed back out of the way, not wanting to interfere and cause them to become more upset.  I figured that either the baby had fallen out of the nest, or another bird may have come to attempt to steal it away.  It seemed as though the whole bird nation was getting in on the action...little warblers, the Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, hummingbirds, and a whole family of Cardinals were all crying out and flying around very frantically.

Not wanting to make matters worse, I stepped back inside and kept watching from our sun porch.  I noticed one of the male Cardinals flying around by the fence and hopping up and down and still calling frantically.  The other birds seems to have disappeared back into the foliage, and just this one brave father kept trying to keep up the fight...but what was he fighting about?  Why was he so excited? 

And then I saw it...something very sinister and creepy was winding its way along the bottom of the fence and around the base of the trees. The frantic father bird kept flying toward him and screaming with his loudest voice. It was as if he was crying, "What is this you have done? What have you done with my child? Please release my baby!"  As I looked more closely I couldn't help but see that the belly of that cursed snake was bulging in the middle...it was already too late.  The damage had been done. The serpent had inflicted another strike against God's creation.  The baby bird was gone, and the nest was bereft of it's charge.  As the snake slithered away I fought back the urge to destroy him. I wondered if there was any way the baby bird could still be alive in the belly of that snake, but even if he was, he wouldn't be able to survive even if released. It was too late.  I thought about what God said to the serpent in the garden:
"Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.  And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."            Genesis 3:14-15
Witnessing this event in nature left me feeling sad and defeated.  Why hadn't I noticed the snake in the garden when I was out there taking pictures of the happy little baby bird innocently calling for his mama from the nest?  I was so focused on the baby that I never saw the danger that apparently was lurking nearby even while I was so close. 

Isn't that just like human nature?  So often we are so focused on our happy little life and doing what we want to do that we are unaware of the tempter sneaking his way through the garden of our life, seeking whom he may devour and destroy. I Peter 5:5-9 says:

"God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,
that He may exalt you in due time,
Casting all your care upon HIM, for He cares for you.
Be sober, be vigilant;
Because your adversary the devil walks about
like a roaring lion,
seeking whom he may devour.
Resist him, steadfast in the faith,
knowing that the same sufferings are experienced
by your brotherhood in the world."


The good news is that when Christ died on the cross, that old serpent, Satan, was dealt a death blow.  Satan thought that by sending Christ to the cross, he, Satan, would finally be able to rule and reign on the earth. What he didn't count on was that Christ did not stay in the tomb...He conquered death and all its foes when He arose victoriously from the grave three days later.  Christ is alive today, and is ever interceding on behalf of His beloved creation.  Satan will get his final just desserts in the end...read Revelation 20:10...when he is cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where he will be tormented day and night forever and ever...

All this because a baby bird got eaten by a snake in my garden?  Well, that is just a microcosm of what the serpent Satan has been trying to do to humanity ever since he was expelled from Eden. But we can rejoice, because we know the bigger picture...and the end of the story.  If this life is all there is, we are of all people most miserable. 


"If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable..."       
I Corinthians 15:19...
"But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep..."
I Corinthians 15:20



After witnessing this tonight, I came inside and read on my facebook page that another parent had lost a teen-age child in a tragic accident today...and again my heart ached for this time a real person and a real family, and a young soul taken away too soon.  Satan may think he won another victory...but he's wrong.  I don't know if this young man was saved or not, but I am praying he was...and claiming true victory in Jesus for this family.  Because Christ lives, they WILL see their child again. Satan did not win. He will NOT win. He is alread a defeated foe.

Mama and Papa Cardinal may never see their little baby birdie again, but we have this hope in Christ for our future.  We will overcome this life and live victoriously forever in Heaven, where no serpents can sneak in and destroy ever again.  PRAISE GOD!!!!!


10 comments:

  1. How sad! This made me want to cry! But, then again, how marvelous is the love of God--and yes, He wins over all-- Satin cannot and will not win this battle!

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    1. I had a difficult time shaking this one off last night. I may have to write a follow up tonight. Thankfully,after praying for the family of the child who was lost...in a skate boarding accident of all things, (and I don't know the family, just saw it posted on the prayer warrior page), I was able to finally get too sleep, knowing that God will bring comfort to them in their great loss. That is the Christian's great hope and promise...God is with us in the trials and losses as well as in the gains and victories. Hallelujah! Our God does reign!!!

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  2. Made me want to cry too. :(

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    1. Thank you Sandy. We women can be so emotional sometimes, as my husband would say...but I noticed that all of my guys were a little disturbed by this incident last night as well...they just wouldn't admit it.

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  3. Oh, Pamela...a fantastic post and there is such joy, and at the same time aching in this lifetime. Whenever I see animals live out the cycle of life or just suffer at the hands of carelessness there is a rumble deep within my soul! Of course more so with people. Yet all of creation is groaning for the great revelation to come. When our God will set all things into a new glorious order. Amazing how these creatures also feel the loss of their little ones, yet we live in a society that willingly sacrifices their own precious babies in the womb. Sometimes I confess feeling sadder for animals (in light of these things). So sorry for the sadness and loss. So grateful for the Truth which you shared. And also condolences to you and the family of the child taken by an accident.

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    1. Yes, we can have joy in the midst of great sorrow because we DO know the final chapter of the book...Because Christ lives and has overcome death and Satan...we too shall live victoriously...both now and for eternity!
      I do not know the family who lost their child yesterday, but that doesn't matter...another family is grieving great loss and we all groan in compassion for them. May God bring comfort to their hearts today with the hope and knowledge that he is not lost forever...they will see him again someday. What glorious hope we have because of Christ. Yes, I agree with you that even nature knows better than to destroy its own child and actually grieves when one is lost from them...I thought about that as well last night...we need to take a lesson from God's creatures...God has placed this powerful instinct within them to survive and preserve life at all cost. Now that I know what they were all so upset about it has certainly opened my eyes as to their tenacity and care for their offspring. It makes me wish I had looked more closely at what they were fussing about...I might have been able to have chased the snake away before he got the baby...but like all of humanity, I looked the other way and didn't pay close enough attention. I didn't want to get involved... well, that gets into another story for another time...you can see this has made me think.

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  4. It is so true...one minute you can be living life just doing your thing and the next minute......everything changes....

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    1. Oh how true a statement that is, as you and I both know all too well. Thankfully, God NEVER changes...He is the same yesterday, today and forever...and HE will always be with us no matter what happens. He carries us through our trials and tribulations, and helps us to get back on solid ground again...oftentimes stronger than before...we just have to learn to trust again...and then follow Him. That's the hard part.

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  5. WOW. I could hardly read this, knowing what was surely coming. Could hardly not, because as you said, it's the way of things. The sound of a family grieving--even when that family wears feathers on their frames rather than clothes--is heart-breaking. Thank you, though, for pulling us back to the truth (even more heart-breaking!) that human loss puts it all in perspective. May this heart of yours (with its clear insight and deep well of understanding) be with your friends as they grieve.

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    1. Thank you for your thoughts on this...isn't it interesting how God places these visual aids right before our eyes...even through the medium of His natural creation...to teach us about our own lives? I love how God is always teaching us. I do not know the family who lost their son, but I know that our God is a God of great compassion and He will be their comfort and stay during this time of extreme grief. My heart truly goes out to them today. God bless you for your insights...

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