WHAT A BIRD TAUGHT ME

The great blue heron is a large wading bird often seen standing silently along inland rivers and water fronts on the Gulf Coast. Sometimes they are misidentified as cranes and are a common sight along the beaches, especially around fishing docks and piers where they hang out in hopes to snag small fish that anglers may throw their way. They are generally solitary feeders that locate their food by site and swallow it whole. Sometimes these birds have been known to choke on their food, if it is too large for them to swallow. Their  feeding behaviors consist of standing in one place, probing, pecking, walking at slow speeds, moving quickly, flying short distances hovering over the water, to pick up their prey.

This past week I spent a little of my vacation time getting to know a blue heron, dubbed "Jeffery" by some of the young boys who played along the docks that we fished on. It was amazing watching this calm, tall, bluish-gray wading bird with his graceful S-shaped neck stand with endurance as he waited on his breakfast, lunch and dinner, provided by us, the local fisher folk. I read that these birds spend 90 percent of their waking hours hunting for food, or in Jeffery's case, waiting for us to throw him food. While these birds can wait a long time for feeding, their attack on their food is sharp and swift. We watched Jeffery as he watched us fish. He never took his eyes off the corks unless we were removing the fish from our hooks tossing them his way. Once the fish was removed from the hook and dropped down on the dock, Jeffery moved in with lightning speed to pierce the fish with his sharp spear like beak and then toss the fish into his mouth, swallow and return to his sitting position, ready to retrieve his next free meal.

One of the things that I noticed Jeffery doing which amazed me was how he watched me cast out my bait and then, the patience he had waiting for the cork to go under. The moment I began to reel the fish in, Jeffery would began to move closer to me. It was though he was expecting the reward and could not wait to receive it. I thought of many spiritual comparisons as I watched my little friend, but the one thing that I could not get off of my mind was how he moved with lightning speed as he saw me reel in his meal. Jeffery reminded me about the verse in Isaiah 40:31 that says, "But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." They that wait upon the Lord implies, the expectant attitude of faith. For the faithful, there is no failure, and faith knows no weariness. This so pictures Jeffery! His still waiting reflected such confidence in my catching fish for him to eat. What an example to me of my own patience with God working in my life.  

May we all learn from Jeffery and therefore watch against doubt, unbelief, pride, and self-confidence. If we go forth in our own strength, we will faint, and utterly fall; but having our hearts and our hopes in the Lord, we will be carried above all our difficulties, and be enabled to lay hold of the prize of our high calling in Christ Jesus. Matthew 6:26 says, "Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" God is fishing today sweet friend on our behalf. May we sit watchful and waiting, as He reels in the plans that He has for us!

Hold Fast,

-Bren