Here's Pastor Dave McDowell's weekly devotional that he sends out to members of his church. Dave is my brother and serves as the Music Minister at Stewartstown UMC in PA.
This is his final devotional thought until the end of the summer.
They are a symbol of beauty.
They are harbingers of spring.
They usher in each new morning
with song and winged flight.
They prance upon the lawn
as they search for nesting supplies.
And they are killing me.
Many await their arrival each spring
as a sign of fairer weather and temperatures.
I view it as an invasion..
And unfortunately, I am hopelessly outnumbered.
It was a pristine day,
perfect for a dinner on the deck.
It was the kind of day you would like to freeze frame.
The temperature was perfect,
the sky a majestic blue.
The air offered a cleansing aroma of springtime.
It was a great night to entertain friends.
The grill was sizzling,
music was softly playing in the background,
and laughter was in full supply.
It was then that they made their presence known.
Not by the renditions of their songs,
nor by the beauty of their flight.
No.
They decided to let us know that they were present
when they released their droppings into my friend's ceasar salad.
"Would you like some more cheese on your salad?
"No thanks, the bird droppings are just fine!"
It doesn't stop there.
Every spring during nesting season
they cover everything with reminders
that they lord over the skies.....
Nothing escapes their attempt
at redecorating.
The deck is splattered......
the pool is bombarded.....
the freshly washed windows become speckled,
and the car looks like a work of Picasso,
on one of his bad days.
Try scrubbing down the house,
and by next morning it all mysteriously reappears.
Try power washing the deck,
and watch our feathered friends
plan their next assault.
I could take a chain saw and cut down all the trees that surround my property,
or I could shrink wrap my home until nesting season has passed.
Give it to them,
they are persistent as well as beautiful.
People can be like robins.
Beautiful in many ways,
but prone to verbal droppings that can splatter........
You look great......... for your age.
You just need to have more faith.
I know exactly how you feel.
Shouldn't you be over this by now?
We all say things from time to time
that leave marks on the people around us.
Sometimes we just fly away,
totally unaware that someone is left
to scrub up the mess.
Sometimes, we are so busy with building our own lives,
that we don't realize we have the power to discolor people's spirits.
Robins have an excuse.
They have been given very small brains.
We don't have such an excuse.
"Teach me to do Thy will,
For Thou art my God;
Let Thy good Spirit
lead me on level ground."
Psalm 143:10
They are harbingers of spring.
They usher in each new morning
with song and winged flight.
They prance upon the lawn
as they search for nesting supplies.
And they are killing me.
Many await their arrival each spring
as a sign of fairer weather and temperatures.
I view it as an invasion..
And unfortunately, I am hopelessly outnumbered.
It was a pristine day,
perfect for a dinner on the deck.
It was the kind of day you would like to freeze frame.
The temperature was perfect,
the sky a majestic blue.
The air offered a cleansing aroma of springtime.
It was a great night to entertain friends.
The grill was sizzling,
music was softly playing in the background,
and laughter was in full supply.
It was then that they made their presence known.
Not by the renditions of their songs,
nor by the beauty of their flight.
No.
They decided to let us know that they were present
when they released their droppings into my friend's ceasar salad.
"Would you like some more cheese on your salad?
"No thanks, the bird droppings are just fine!"
It doesn't stop there.
Every spring during nesting season
they cover everything with reminders
that they lord over the skies.....
Nothing escapes their attempt
at redecorating.
The deck is splattered......
the pool is bombarded.....
the freshly washed windows become speckled,
and the car looks like a work of Picasso,
on one of his bad days.
Try scrubbing down the house,
and by next morning it all mysteriously reappears.
Try power washing the deck,
and watch our feathered friends
plan their next assault.
I could take a chain saw and cut down all the trees that surround my property,
or I could shrink wrap my home until nesting season has passed.
Give it to them,
they are persistent as well as beautiful.
People can be like robins.
Beautiful in many ways,
but prone to verbal droppings that can splatter........
You look great......... for your age.
You just need to have more faith.
I know exactly how you feel.
Shouldn't you be over this by now?
We all say things from time to time
that leave marks on the people around us.
Sometimes we just fly away,
totally unaware that someone is left
to scrub up the mess.
Sometimes, we are so busy with building our own lives,
that we don't realize we have the power to discolor people's spirits.
Robins have an excuse.
They have been given very small brains.
We don't have such an excuse.
"Teach me to do Thy will,
For Thou art my God;
Let Thy good Spirit
lead me on level ground."
Psalm 143:10
.
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