Sunday, May 11, 2014

Don't Cry, Mommy!

Deuteronomy 22:6-7, "If a bird’s nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young: 7 But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days."

Luke 12:7, "But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows."

This piece is meant to be a typology illustration only. It is not meant to be dogmatic or considered a doctrinal statement. It's a life lesson if you will. Its an illustration for those who may be feeling as though they were robbed of something precious, and are allowing bitterness to erode their outlook on life. Bitterness can be hidden inwardly by some and outwardly displayed by others. its a tricky emotion that if allowed to grow, could take hold of someone's positive perspective and turn it into a negative one. Unfortunately, if one lives a life of bitterness, those around her (or him) lives with it too. In this piece, I will be focusing primarily on mothers who have lost a child. But, this could apply to any life lost. This lesson can apply to men as well, but since today is Mother's Day, I thought I'd concentrate on Mom's. I know little about what a mother feels when she has the gift of her child's love ripped from her in a tragic way. Mothers can lose their young in many ways. Wars, disease, accidents, abortions, custody, etc, can account for the variety. Some ways are more tragic than others, but none of them are good because the end result is a pain nobody wants to face.

When I think of a mother losing her child, whether by a tragic accident, illness, attack or abortion, a picture appears in my mind. It's the picture of a baby girl who looks down from Heaven saying, "Don't cry, Mommy! It's okay... I'm with Jesus now." The tragic thing is, the mother cannot hear her baby girl at that moment. The sound of her sweet little voice is drowned out by the bitter sobs gushing from the mother's soul. She knows that she will never experience teaching her little girl to bake her first batch of cookies. She'll never see her wobble on her bike down the sidewalk for the first time. She'll never see her happily spin around and twirl the hem of her new sun dress or see the look on her face as she beams like the little princess that she is. No. Mom will never experience these things because her baby is gone. All she can feel is the bitterness that comes with the loss of her child. She feels robbed. Robbed of the joy that could have been. Again, things we take for granted now, suddenly are viewed as lost treasure. The more we dwell on our loss, the more we become hardened. For many, this is when bitterness begins to fester.

Anyone who may be struggling with a bitter spirit because of a great loss needs to know that God isn't cruel. He takes no pleasure in our grief. Deuteronomy 22:6-7 doesn't seem to tell us much at first glance. But, when looked upon in the Proper light, perhaps they will make a little more sense by the time we're through. Hopefully, they'll not only make sense, but they'll soothe and comfort those who read this. This is my hope.

What can we take away from this illustration? First, I believe we might have a better view if we try and look at this from the Creator's point of view. Just in case some are not aware of it, our Creator (Jesus) owns everything. It stands to reason that since He made it, He owns it. That includes our lives. He can do with them as He wills. The only thing He doesn't own is our will. That's a gift He's given to us. This is the gift of choice. We are endowed with the ability to go one way or the other, build or decay, laugh or cry. Sometimes, we don't know what it is that we have. We tend to take things for granted. We know that God is all goodness, mercy, grace and righteousness rolled into one Being. He generates all that is living and holds life and death in the palms of His hands. Since He is all knowing, all that He does is justified. If we know that all that He does is meant for our good, and the good of His glory, then there is no sin in what He decides; even when it comes to the outcomes of life. That includes my life, and your life, our parent's lives and our children's lives. If Jesus decides to give or take away, it is His Divine Right to do so.

Now, on with our illustration... In Deuteronomy 22:6, if someone is walking down the way and see's a bird's nest before him, whether in a tree or on the ground, whether it has young or eggs, it is up to him to discern what he or she wants to do. I see 'the way' as an illustration for our course of life for the saved or the lost. We can also view this 'way' as our lives in Christ. Jesus tells us in John 14:6. "I am the WAY,... " We may choose to follow His way or man's way. We can choose to look at this 'way' from a godly perspective or from a worldly one. Again, the choice is up to us.

We work, travel, love, and hate. We make decisions that not only affect ourselves, but those we come in contact with. I think God is saying here that if THOU by chance stumble upon a nest, we have decisions to make. I think the thou here is an illustration of us putting ourselves in God's sandals for a moment. Sometimes, and without thinking about it, don't we think of ourselves as demi-gods when we come across animals or birds in nature? We see ourselves as the lords over all that crawl, creep and fly. We instinctively think of ourselves as being masters of what we see around us. We may opt to squash a bug on the ground because we merely wish to, or we might have compassion towards a defenseless creature like a bird with a broken wing. Either way, we see ourselves as masters of our domain. We understand that we are above the animal kingdom and what we decide to do within that kingdom within our grasp is up to us. Here's the thing... How will we handle this situation, and why? Will we have compassion, or will we destroy? We have a free will, remember? It's a gift from God, right? How will we treat God's gift of free will knowing that we have such great power at our disposal? I believe that God has instilled in every heart a moral code of conduct. Whether we choose to harken to this code is where our gift of free will comes into play. Here's a true life illustration of what I mean...

When I was 17 years old, a storm hit our neighborhood late at night. When we went outside the next morning, there laying on our lawn next to a large felled branch, was a nest of baby squirrels. My step-father was an older man who grew up on a farm. The first thing he said was, "Get a bucket, fill it with water, and then we'll drown them." I was horrified! I was thinking, "How could he DO THAT??? These baby squirrels were so young, they hadn't even opened their eyes yet!" Immediately I pleaded their case and asked if I could drag the nest they were still in closer towards another tree trunk so that the mother squirrel could rescue them. I would be careful not to touch the baby squirrels because I didn't want my scent on them. I thought that their mother might reject them if the stench of a human had been detected. I gave my step-Dad every reason why these little furry beasts should have a fighting chance to survive. "Hadn't they been through enough?" I thought.

Soon, my persistence was rewarded. After some time, my step-father relented. As I said before, he was an older man and Probably didn't want to hear the yammering of a teenager (you know how teens can be, right?). When he allowed me to Proceed, I placed the nest under a nearby tree. I waited to see what would happen. Sure enough, after about ten minutes or so, the mother squirrel cautiously approached her babies and carried one up the tree. She came down and grabbed another until all three were safe and sound high up in their new home. At that moment, I knew what it was like to 'Play God.' The truth is, I learned what that was like much earlier when I squashed a bug, or swatted a fly at around five. But this time, playing God took on a whole new meaning for me. It wasn't about having destructive power over another creature. It was about having compassion towards helpless creatures. When the baby squirrels were safe, I had realized I had thwarted the enemy with reason and persuasion. I alone had changed the destiny of these little creatures. It was a good feeling. Not that I was power hungry, but that I had displayed a measure of compassion towards three of God's helpless and innocent babies. Perhaps, on some level, I saw my step-dad as the enemy and the baby squirrels as me, my brother and sister. The mother squirrel represented my Mom and my intervention represented the will of God to respect the lives that He created.

Now, let's take that story and apply portions of it to ourselves chancing upon a nest of birds in the way. As I said before, the way would represent the course of our lives from either a godly or worldly perspective. Putting ourselves in God's shoes, we can see creation from His perspective. We know that we can reason infinitely greater than a bird can. Our feelings are more tuned in towards compassion and understanding. We hold the young birds destiny in our hands. First, I see that God gives us certain rules of conduct if we come across a situation like this. If we see a nest with a mother bird (a Dam) sitting on her young or her eggs, we are to think sensibly about the situation and how we are to respond. But it goes father than a mere chancing upon the nest of a family of birds. This moment translates to how we interact with all life. Especially how we interact with human life. In particular, how we interact with infant or unborn lives. I ask the reader to please be patient with me. I'm building a foundation as to what I'm driving at.

Back to God's illustration... The bird and her babies weren't bothering anyone. Their home (the nest) was made and was either safe on a low hanging branch or built on the ground. The point is, we have the power to reach it if we so desire. Now, if I represent God walking in the way, then the young represent a human family of siblings. The Dam would take on the role as a human mother caring for her newborns. The eggs represent the mother in her pregnancy caring for the child (or children) within her. The "sitting upon the young or the eggs" represent the mother caring and Protecting her offspring in the way as only a loving mother can. By the way, this is not a case of abandonment. The Dam was tending to her young as a mother should. She had little say-so as to what this all powerful being who approached her world do. All he had to do was give her one good swat and that would be the end of her. Sure, some Dams would attack to Protect their nest, and others would just fly away from the danger; but either way, she would be shooed away from the nest eventually. In most cases like this, I believe that if we shoo away the mother bird, God allows that Dam to recuperate from the incident and move on with her life. So can the human mother after the loss of her child.

Also, another type I see is that God doesn't discriminate where the birds live or what class of bird they are. To Him, they're just birds. If a nest is located in a tree, we can view this as a family of privilege and wealth. If the nest is on the ground, it could represent a poor or a modest family. (Again, this is JUST an ILLUSTRATION, so all of you dogmatic and doctrinally correct Bereans can relax). Either way, God views them all as birds of a feather. If we stumble upon a nest of young birds with their mother, all we see is that they are birds that are accessible to us. We don't care if they're high-class or lowly, and neither does God. To Him, we're all flesh and bones. As my former Drill Sergeant used to say, "We're ALL pink on the inside!" Like I said, Jesus doesn't discriminate. Both the rich and poor, great and small will stand before Him one day. So, when we see these birds in the nest, we consider little as to what class they belong to. We just view them as to what they are. To the individual, they're either a precious, harmless defenseless creature created for God's good pleasure, or they can be viewed as disease carrying aviary that needs to be caught and stomped into the dust. And this is the point of the story... How do we view life? Do we respect it? How do we treat strangers, neighbors, or members of our own family? Do we want to destroy and mutilate? Or, do we want to care for and appreciate? It all boils down to our attitude. I'll get back to that later.

Back to our ground rules of conduct... Notice the tail end of verse six. The LORD tells us that we are allowed to take the young, but we cannot take the eggs. Nor are we to take the Dam. Why? Because the young are already alive, chirping away, and are able to be fed solid food. The developing chicks inside of the eggs enjoy no such luxury. The Dam is still incubating them until they hatch. As part of our code of conduct, God doesn't want them disturbed. After all, the mother can do a lot better at incubating her eggs than we can. I believe that God wants the eggs to be given a chance to hatch and live a proper bird's life. They won't be able to do that if we interfere. I guess this is where Pro-Choice comes into play. It seems to me that man loves to interfere. If God doesn't allow someone to take the eggs or the Dam, then why do abortion clinic Pro-Choicers take the human egg (or unborn baby) only and not the Mom? Why not go all the way? If they want to exercise their gift of free will and defy God's natural laws, why not go all the way and destroy the mother's life as well? Wouldn't that Promote their agenda of the depopulation of our world even further? You say, "People who work in abortion clinics are NOT monsters!" Really? What do you call someone who takes part in destroying an innocent human life and labels it a "Routine Medical Procedure?" I pose the question again; Do we respect life? Do we respect the life that grows within a mother? If not, we might as well go on and spill the blood of innocents every chance we get.

Why abort an innocent and helpless baby before or even as he is being born? To me, that is senseless. I saw a post on a social network that said, "If a father neglects his child, he is called a Deadbeat Dad. But, if a mother neglects her child, she is called Pro-Choice." I believe there is a lot of truth to that statement. Some mothers are grieving right now because they made the choice to abort their baby. Some justify the guilt by labeling the child as a "fetus" or some other cold medical term. For some women, this white-washing Procedure occurs multiple times. But, what may seem like the Promise of freedom to some, is a dark tunnel with no way out for others. They go in with the idea that if they terminate the life of the baby within them, they will be free from the responsibilities of raising that child later on. An hour spent at the Abortion Clinic will cancel out eighteen years or so of mothering. What they don't realize is, what they will get is a lifetime of guilt, regret and self-torture. Inside them, the echo of God's moral code eats away like a cancer. There are many would be mothers who regret ever having an abortion. I believe they are haunted with the images of memories of that child that will never be. Their bitterness grows ever deeper until something suffers. What will that be? Their happiness? Their hearts? Their sanity? Those they love around them? And what penance will serve for this moral crime?

Was it God's will that caused the mother to have an abortion? I don't believe so. However, sometimes, it may be in the child's best interest that the LORD take that child to Heaven to live in His presence until He comes again. The child will be better off there than what horrors await him as he suffers from abuse or neglect down here. Of course, that's not always the case. Not all neglected and abused children are so fortunate. Many remain down here for some other purpose; we know not why. But, God has a reason. He see's the nest in the way and knows what to do with the young. We can rest assured that God has everything under control. Are the aborted babies safe? Yes. And, I'm sure all of them are trying to communicate the same refrain to their mothers who cannot hear them: "Don't cry, Mommy! I'm with Jesus now!" If all mothers understood this, they'd receive the consoling comfort they crave.

Back to the young and eggs for a moment... If the young are already out of their shells, they have a fighting chance no matter if it is the Dam who cares for them, or a caring compassionate human. Who reading this has ever had a bird for a pet? A canary, parakeet, doves or parrots? Do we not take great care in feeding them and clean their cages? Do they not give us pleasure? Do we not grow to love and nurture them? If God takes care of the little sparrows, how much more will He care for us? And how much more is a woman who fears God careful for her children? A sparrow doesn't cry or weep when her young is taken away. I don't believe God would be so cruel as to allow that. I believe this is another point to chew on regarding these verses. Even in tragedy, He is merciful, kind and has a plan. Be that as it may, mothers who love and care for their children no matter what the circumstance are cursed to feel the sting of loss once their child is taken. I know that He views them as special jewels in His house of treasure. It's to those mothers who may lose their special needs child or in some other way that I write this. It's never good when a parent outlives their children, but there are times when we can take solace in knowing that they'll be seen again. If we fear God, we may already be experiencing God's peace right now. How? It happens when we give our child's fate to God. One day, we know that Jesus will restore our child to us.

I believe that trusting in God for the care of our children (whether here or in Heaven) will relieve a lot of stress and bitterness from our lives. "That it may be well with thee, and that thou may prolong thy days."~ verse 7. A long life is the result of how well we treat and have compassion for others, especially our parents. Honoring our fathers and our mothers is the key. Why? Because God is pleased with that. He tells us that in the Ten Commandments. Jesus demonstrated this very law while hanging on the cross. He charged John to care for Mary, His mother, because He knew that He must go away. Caring for Mom or Dad in their old age is honorable to the Lord. He Promised that this is the factor that will Prolong our days. But, that's not all. In Ephesians 6:2-3 Paul writes, "Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth." Back in Deuteronomy 22:7, God says, "That it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong they days." It looks like the same Promise from God in the O.T. is mirrored in the N.T. What does this mean? It means that this moral law extends to us here in the New Covenant. If we honor our parents now and in their old age we have assurance from our Creator that we will live longer and be happier for it. No, this won't save us, or even keep us saved. Jesus does that. Nevertheless, it is a Promise from God to extend our lives here on Earth. As an old preacher used to say, "If we have bitterness in our hearts over something we're holding onto from the past; Let it go."

But, what about those who may be walking in the 'way' of the world? Those who may not know if Heaven will be their home some day, can know ~ 1John 5:13. See my post entitled, 'What Must I Do To Be Saved?' to get more insight on salvation. Is there hope of ever seeing your babies again? Yes. As I said before; Jesus has the power to restore you to your baby boy or girl. But, that depends on whether or not you're related to Christ. We cannot have a relationship with Him until we are related TO HIM. That takes a new birth. Ironic, isn't it? To see our unborn again someday, we must be born again. What will it be? Can we go on without Christ? Sure, for awhile. All the way until death meets us face to face. Perhaps our own deaths will be less cruel than the fates so many millions of aborted babies have met. Is there any hope of mercy to those who have coldly ended the life that was once within them? Yes. You see, the mother bird is allowed to fly away when approached by the human who has come across her nest in the way. He has compassion on her young and will take care of them as she's allowed to fly away to live another day. To me, this flying away is a beautiful picture of salvation. Our Creator spares the life of the Dam, while at the same time, He cares for her young. I can see a parallel to when Jesus said, "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do." I don't believe that most mothers know what they're doing when they made the decision to abort their babies. Instead of getting what they do deserve, mercy is shown to those who ask. Just as all sinners have a chance for redemption, so do moms who abort their young. If they will just trust in Jesus, they can all fly away with the rest of the saved. This is a beautiful picture of God's mercy and grace through His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Dam will instinctively go on to fill another nest will her eggs, raise her young and teach them to fly. So should be the hope and outlook of every mother who's had an abortion and wants forgiveness. Give the situation to God so that you might have joy in what you do have. Trust Him to save you if you're not. And if you are, let go of the bitterness knowing that He cares for your baby right now. Don't allow bitterness to eat away at you and rob you of more years of abundance in your life. Take the story of Job with you. He lost ten children to tragedy, yet he was blessed two fold. Whatever our current circumstance, abortion aside, comfort can be yours. As I write this, it is still Mother's Day 2014. Its a superficial holiday for some; a gimmick in the marketplace for others. But, for me, it is a reminder of those who have known the pain and joy of loving and nurturing a child. So, if you've had the misfortune of losing a child, whatever the circumstance, take comfort in believing that he or she is somewhere in Heaven saying, "Don't Cry, Mommy. I'm with Jesus now!"

One last note: I'm not a "Mama's boy," but I do know the value of a great mother. Thank you for all you've done for us, Ma. You did a great job. I love you. I advise us all to be aware of our surroundings and respect life (human or otherwise) as God does. So, the next time we walk in the way and find a nest, be kind towards those who abide within. That includes our own babies, elderly Moms and Dads, the homeless, the lame, blind, poor, widows and orphans. It is God Who cares for us. Why would we, as His saints, do any less?

So, what are these two verses trying to say? I believe that if one wishes to Prolong his or her days, we should live with a compassionate heart towards nature and others. Thank you for visiting and blessings on your day.

11 comments:

  1. Nice Job Bobby I like your squirrel illustration, says a lot about your character too! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Bobby! The miracles of God's creation are all around us, big and small. How we "look" at them truly makes a difference. I can see the bees around our flower garden and be in awe how God uses them, but I do look at them a little differently when they make their way into the house. Get the swatter! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes Rick, I agree. But the biggest lesson for me is how God see's us and therefore how we should see people. It's the compassion factor. Thank you for commenting.

      Delete
  3. Very much enjoyed this Bobby. I know friends personally who will benefit from this as they have lost a child and struggled in trying to know what to do or make sense of it. I praise God this nice lady received salvation some time after this tragedy so she will see this beautiful child again one day :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Really enjoyed this article and it gives great assurance to those who read it of looking to God in all situations. I personally know a lady who lost a son a few years ago and since then has received salvation. She struggled, as anyone would during that time, but this could help her and others greatly who have gone through such an event..Thanks a bunch for share Bobby! :-) God bless you big guy!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks fro the two great comments, Merle. I hope this article helps too. Pass it along if you can. Blessings!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hey, Bobby! I was just asking Rabbi about these two verses yesterday. His explanation: There are only two verses out of 613 that give long life, honoring your parents and the mother and baby bird. The verses are about compassion. Showing compassion to the smallest creature, says he.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I gotta admit, Mom o'7 that when my wife came to me about these verses I was scratching my head. But, after putting myself in the Creator's shoes, I understood what He meant. Thank you for confirming my take on them. Have a blessed day.

      Delete
  7. Hi
    I would love to Email you, but do not see any contact info on the site. I have read through many of your posts. I also came to the point where the lights went on and I realized that there was a difference between God's instruction from the Bible and what the big man was leading the flock to do. I have not made any trouble, but try to only take the yoke of Christ. It is very sad that we can find ourselves pouring money and our life into the so called "Lord's work" and find that we have enabled another person to lead a life of sin and self indulgence.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello 'Mystery Commentator!' Thanks for the great remark. Its nice to know that some people get what this site is all about. You may contact me at bronxbobby@hotmail.com if you care to. Blessings...

      Delete