Songbird Ecouragement

The birds choose to sing regardless of their circumstances.

We had a loud thunderstorm one night this week. It was the second round of tornado producing storms that hit the South in just two days. It was around midnight when the thunder began booming. We have two dogs. One is afraid of thunder and he began pacing and whining and scratching to get out the door, which of course, woke up the other pup and she became restless as well.

The noise and the dogs had me up for good portion of the night before the storms finally passed and they were able to settle back down.

I was definitely dragging the next morning as I sat bleary eyed at my kitchen table, drinking my second cup of coffee, desperately wishing it was Friday instead of Thursday.

It was still dark outside and I was trying to focus on the daily devotion I was reading in silence, when I little bird chirped to the top of its lungs. I smiled to myself. I appreciated this early bird’s beacon to embrace the day ahead after such a rough night. After all, he had been outside in the midst of the storm for both rounds. He didn’t have the safety of a house to shelter him. Yet, he was ready to go forth and do his work whatever that may be, with a cheerful song.

It wasn’t but a minute or two, when a chorus of other birds joined him. 

At this point, I stopped reading and gave them my full attention. 

A symphony had begun and I wanted to take a moment to appreciate it.

I thought about those birds for the rest of the day. I thought about how every single one of them had been outside in that thunderstorm and how they chose to celebrate the new day together. They could have remained silent, shuffling around in the dark, wet morning, grumbling about their long night, telling each other stories about how they were almost blown out their nests or about the mess they had to clean up and I felt convicted. 

That’s exactly what I wanted to do. I was tired and grumpy and far from joyful as I sat in my warm dry home with electricity.

I especially, thought about the very first bird to sing. He was the one to get the others going in the right direction. His song led the way.

When I got to work, I sent a couple of emails and texts of encouragement to people who I thought might need it. It required very little effort on my part, but I wanted my song to lead the way. 

I got thankful replies from each one of them. The song of one lone bird in the darkness, reminded me that a single act of encouragement can sometimes be a lifeline to someone who might really need it. Perhaps you needed reminding too!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 😊