Kissed by the Spirit

“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.”

John 15:26 (KJV)

There is not a single verse in all of scripture, where the word Trinity is found, yet it has been an accepted tenet of Christianity, going as far back as the first century apostles, teachers and martyrs of the faith. 

The scripture verse above, from the gospel of John, reveals a Trinity without ever saying the word Trinity. It simply says that Jesus sends the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father. It includes the three persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

There’s something beautiful about getting to know each person of the Triune God. Since the gospels hint at the different roles of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we were meant to have a relationship with all three persons of the Trinity. In my feeble human words, I will try to describe what I’ve learned about the Trinity.

God the Father, is the Designer in Chief. He is worthy of praise, since He not only created everything, but also custom designed each person’s personality, talents, and traits. 

Scripture tells us that God is love, and that His nature is a paternal one, calling us His sons and daughters. 

When we suffer afflictions, hardships and trials in this life, we may feel scarred and weak, but our Heavenly Father, reassures us, saying,

“My power is perfected in your weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

God doesn’t make mistakes, despite what is happening in our lives. He is a loving Father who is perfecting His power in us, through the very things we might perceive as weaknesses and afflictions. When we keep this perspective, it deepens our relationship with the Father. 

Jesus, the Son, is the physical image of the invisible God. He revealed His Father’s love for us, and He did it through His actions of service and sacrifice, by His incarnation, death and resurrection. Since Jesus loves us through His actions, He requires action from all those who are in a relationship with Him.

During His ministry, Jesus highlights people whose faith was expressed with action. In His parables, He praised the widow who gave her last cent and a woman who persisted in knocking on the door of an unjust judge, until she received justice. He reminds us through the story of the Good Samaritan, that actions count more than we realize. Jesus’ primary message is to follow Him and become doers of the word, and not just hearers. (James 1:22)

The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is referred to as the Spirit of truth. We live in a time where people create their own truth, but the Spirit reveals His truth to us. He is also called the Helper, and He helps by correcting, teaching, guiding, and comforting us when we need it most.

I especially love the comforting part.

We can call on the Holy Spirit at any moment of any day, and He hears and answers us. When we need comfort, there’s no greater comforter than Him. If we pray and ask for His Presence, He comes bringing along His truth, in a gentle and comforting way. 

We could never know the beauty, truth and goodness of God, or be able to say in faith, that Jesus is Lord, without the Holy Spirit’s revelation to us. (1 Corinthians 12:3)

In times of hardship, the Holy Spirit continues to communicate the  Father’s love, reminding us to keep our hope in Jesus Christ. He guides us in the path that is best for our eternal well being, beyond the temporal circumstances. 

Life is much more exciting, when we seek a friendship with the Father, who designed us, the Son who put His love into action for us, and the Holy Spirit, who comforts and guides us. Our faith will be impacted in new ways, by having a relationship with each person of the Holy Trinity.

Lord, teach us more about you as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Send the comfort of your Spirit, as you lead us in a path that best fulfills your divine purpose in our lives. Amen

“And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”And he hurried and came down, and received Him joyfully.”

Luke 19:5-6 (NASB)

Zaccheus was a wealthy man, and a chief tax collector, but he wasn’t a believer. He was very curious about who Jesus was, so much so, that he went to extremes to get a glimpse of Him. Luke tells us that he was too short to see Jesus in the crowd, so he climbed up a Sycamore tree to get a bird’s eye view. Most people would consider it extremely odd for a distinguished, wealthy tax collector to climb a tree, for any reason.

Jesus walked over to the tree and called Zaccheus to come down, saying He was going to his house. After making many enemies over the years and being despised by most people, Zaccheus might have doubted if he was redeemable, until Jesus called his name that day and he was touched by grace. 

Something changed in Zaccheus when Jesus went to his home. He went from being an oppressive, dishonest tax collector to a repentant believer who joyfully turned over half of his wealth to the poor. He even went a step further, by paying back every person he ever wronged, giving back four times the amount that he extorted from them. 

Zaccheus was showing the same mercy to others that he received from Jesus, something we’re all asked to do. He is a classic example  of “radical redemption”, and it all began when he went to extremes out of curiosity. 

When curiosity leads to extreme behavior of any kind, it might be a sign of a spiritual hunger for God. Just like Zaccheus, every person has an inner longing for God’s love and mercy, but some may feel unworthy of it.  Thankfully, Jesus knows how to meet any person wherever they’re at.

Many years ago, I had a church friend named Ed, who shared his own story of how curiosity led him to redemption. He was raised Jewish, but considered himself an atheist. His curiosity led to the extreme undertaking of getting hold of a Bible and reading it entirely, from start to finish. He did it in order to acquire enough knowledge of scripture, to debate and disprove the beliefs of people he met.

After reading the whole Bible, the Holy Spirit began working within him, and he had a deep conversion to the faith. He surrendered his arrogance and became a believer in Jesus. 

He later found a church, married and raised four sons. Today, they have four daughter in laws, ten grandchildren, and all are following Jesus. 

Ed’s curiosity culminated in a life long friendship with Jesus. I still marvel at how God continues to bring people to the faith in each generation. 

We may have loved ones or friends who are driven to extremes out of some kind of curiosity, but Jesus knows the real hunger that is within them, and He’s knocking on the door of their hearts. He stands at the door of every human heart, calling their name, as He called Zaccheus down from the tree. He reaches people in the most extreme places, because He has most extreme love and mercy to give us than we could ever ask for or imagine. 

Lord, thank you for curiosity and the hunger that is within every human heart. Call every one of our loved ones and friends to you today, and by your grace, shower them with love and mercy. Amen

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:12 (RSV)

This is a profound scripture verse for believers to pause and meditate on. There is something about the name of Jesus. God sent us His son, but He also sent us His name to pray in. God almighty selected that name and sent Gabriel to Mary, telling her to name the baby in her womb, Jesus. 

It’s the only name that is given to all mankind, which can make us whole. He gave us His name, to pray in, because in His name, we have the benefits of a complete salvation; physical healing, mental wholeness, redemption, and peace. In His name, anyone’s life can be transformed and healed in body, mind, soul and spirit.

Jesus could just look at a person and know the exact pathology within them. He knew what was needed to fully heal someone. 

Scripture tells us that God has the hairs of our head numbered. If He knows the number of hairs on our head, then He also knows the status of every cell in our bodies, and what we hold in the deepest places of our mind, soul and spirit. 

Jesus always was, is now and forever will be, the greatest of all physicians. He can see us inside and out, and He is the true source of complete healing. There is power in His name. He may choose to heal miraculously or by using medical professionals. Whoever He heals, His intent is to heal them physically, mentally and spiritually.

Jesus said to all those He healed, 

“Go in peace, your faith has saved you.” He spoke as if peace, salvation and healing were one and the same. 

There is a special Greek word for the “Jesus” kind of healing. It’s a word used in today’s scripture verse and throughout the New Testament. The word “save” or “salvation” in Greek, has a more expanded meaning than in English, which can enhance our understanding of Jesus and His name. The word is “Soteria.”

Soteria is a Greek word used about 46 times in the New Testament. In English it means salvation, but in Greek, it refers to salvation through wholeness and complete healing. When Jesus used the term to “save” as in the verse, 

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost,”

(Luke 19:10) the word “save” is translated as “soteria”, which means an all inclusive salvation; healing of body, mind, soul and spirit. 

Bible commentaries define Soteria, as: “a restoration to a state of safety, soundness, health and well being.” 

Salvation has a much broader meaning in Greek, than in English. 

To top it all off, when Soteria is translated into Hebrew, it becomes the word “Yeshua”, which means salvation. The word Yeshua, is translated into English, as Jesus. 

It’s the word that keeps on giving! 

So, the name of Jesus means salvation-the complete healing of body, mind and soul and spirit. Maybe that’s why He told us, 

“If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:14)

Some of the greatest scientists were Christians, such as Copernicus, Isaac Newton, Gregor Mendel, Blaise Pascal, Louis Pasteur and many others. The name of Jesus inspires medical research, inventions and discoveries that help mankind. He also gives insight to physicians, to correctly diagnose and prescribe the right treatment.

Whether we go to church or to the medical clinic, putting our faith in the name of Jesus, is to know that He is our Soteria, the true source for our complete wholeness and well being. 

Lord, we ask in the name of Jesus, that you bless each reader and their loved ones with the wholeness of soteria healing of body, mind, soul and spirit. Amen

“For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.

He only is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress; I shall not be shaken.”

Psalm 62:5-6 (RSV)

I know something about waiting, though I don’t always do it very well in silence. Since I‘ve been finding my way through a maze of Federal agencies, with not so helpful people, I’ve had several phone calls, trying to get the health care my son needs. I encountered many people who don’t understand nor can they refer me to someone who does. The waiting continues and so do the prayers. 

I waited over a year before getting approval for Jon’s SS disability. I knew it would take a while, but when the government finally sent the first check for him, I went to the bank to open the account. Thinking it would be a simple process, the bank requested my original letter from SS, which I couldn’t find. I tried giving them every other letter that SS sent, but they could not open a disability account without having that one sole, sacred letter. I was told to go to the SS office and get a copy of it and then come back. 

When I arrived at the SS office, I expected the usual two hour wait, like so many times before. A clerk was sitting at the front door entrance that day, screening the purpose for each person’s visit. After asking why I was there, she took my information, went on her laptop and reprinted the letter I needed. I did not have to wait in line at all and was in and out of the SS office in less than 10 minutes. It was a miracle of God’s perfect timing, and that lady was like an angel, who led me out of a maze. 

Between Medicaid, ACA Federal marketplace, and Social Security Disability, getting accurate answers was literally like walking through one maze after another. The majority of people I dealt with were not helpful. 

I could call Medicaid, speak to three different people at three different times, and get three different answers to the same question. One  person told me my son wasn’t even in their system, even though he was for two years. 

With every step forward, I seemed to fall two steps back.  All I could do is pray for the way out of the current maze. 

Jon’s doctor ordered a CT scan of his brain three weeks ago but it wasn’t approved because Medicaid claimed they never received an order, yet the doctor claimed he sent it. The Director of Nursing called me from the Nursing home yesterday, to say he finally received authorization for the CT scan and it will be scheduled. Now I pray that Jon will lie still and get a readable scan. I thank all of you meditation friends who told me you were praying for him. 

There is no way to navigate through the confusing mazes of this life, unless God remains our rock and our fortress. However long we wait, our hope must be solidly placed in Him, not in agencies or misguided people. 

Reading the Psalms during times of distress, reinforces my faith, gives me peace instead of letting anxiety shake me. As I read the words of the Psalmist, I look up and say, 

“For you alone, Lord, my soul waits in silence.”

Even though we trust God, it’s still hard to accept those long waiting periods, before everything finally gets straightened out. That’s why God sends helpful people to us along the way. Each helpful person we meet is like an angel, shining some light in the darkness. They are like a sign from God that He is really with us, sees what we’re going through, and cares for us. Then we can silence our soul, keep waiting and not be shaken. 

Lord, you are truly a refuge in a day of distress, and in your goodness, you care for all those who wait for you. Help us to trust, as you send us helpers to lead us out of every maze and into your light. Amen

“For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”

Romans 8:15 (NASB)

Those who have been reading my meditations for a while, probably notice that I often write about the fatherhood of God. That’s because it is foundational to our faith, but especially to my personal faith. 

I had a father growing up, but he had a stroke before I was born. Although he lived with our family for the next 17 years, he had serious short term memory loss and cognitive deficits. I didn’t have much of a relationship with him, which was no fault of his own, but God has been a good and true father to me throughout my adult life.

There’s a reason that the first line of the Lord’s Prayer is, “Our Father, who art in Heaven”…because God is the origin and inspiration of all good fathers. Some overlook that attribute about God, because they’ve seen so many imperfect fathers in the world. Jesus knew that before we can appreciate all the gifts God has for us, we need to first establish a foundation of knowing we are sons and daughters of a good father. 

John wrote, “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God.”

(1 John 3:1)

Jesus described a good father as the one who wants to give good gifts to his children, one who would not give his child a stone when they ask for bread. He also told the parable of  the good father of the prodigal, who had unconditional compassion and forgiveness for his wayward son. 

Paul the apostle, tells us that we have been adopted into the family of God. Every believer has within them a spirit of adoption, whereby we call out to God, saying “Abba, Father!” Abba is the more intimate form of the Hebrew word for father. It’s similar to “Daddy” in English. 

We aren’t required to clean ourselves up first, in order for God to love us. We come as we are, and He cleans us up. A human father loves his newborn child before they could ever do anything right or wrong, and God loves each of us in the same paternal way. 

I heard a true story shared on a Christian TV show. A couple was considering adopting an older adolescent child, and a concerned relative challenged the idea by asking “What if this child has a lot of problems as he grows?” 

The future adoptive parents said, 

“We would still rather he be with us than with anyone else.” 

That’s the perfect example of the fatherhood of God, who loves us, beyond our emotional baggage, our flaws and our brokenness. He calls us sons and daughters, and He would rather we be with Him than without Him.

We all have the choice of receiving God’s fatherhood, or living as a permanent orphan. We make mistakes and accumulate baggage throughout our lives, but after all is said and done, we’re still better off with Jesus than without Him.

Like any child, we occasionally need lap time with our Father. It doesn’t mean that our problems will all be solved, but it’s a place to rest our soul in security and comfort. His lap is invisible, but His Presence is always with us, calling us to run to Him, and embrace our spirit of adoption as sons and daughters. As we run to Him, we affectionately call out, “Abba, Father.”

Lord, help us to embrace our spirit of adoption, knowing our Heavenly Father loves us as we are. Help us to rest in your Presence and restore our peace, as we cry Abba, Father!” Amen

“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.”

Zechariah 4:6 (NIV)

God spoke the words above to the prophet, Zechariah, in order to encourage the people to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. The people just came out of exile from Babylon, and were finally permitted to return to their holy city of Jerusalem. 

God was rebuilding their morale so that they would rebuild His temple. He told them that they can do this, and it would be done, not by their might or their power, but by His Spirit. 

It’s a beautiful message and is forever relevant in the life of a Christian. Sometimes we exhaust ourselves, in our efforts to achieve a goal or solve a problem, and after praying for so long for something, hope becomes frail and we feel drained, not knowing what else to do. The people came out of exile with frail hope, but Zechariah basically told them to give it all to God, and take the first step in rebuilding the Temple. It wouldn’t depend on their own strength, because God’s Spirit would be with them. 

The temple was important because it was more than a monumental structure, or a place of beauty. It was the place where the Messiah, a divine High priest and king, would one day come and grace its courts. 

It was also the place where all nations would one day acknowledge God’s universal sovereignty, and where heaven and earth could be connected, because the Presence of Almighty God would dwell there. 

All of that would be accomplished, not by military might, power, or weapons of war, but by the Spirit of God. If they understood Zechariah’s words, they would know that God’s justice and righteousness doesn’t come from human strength, much less through fighting and violence. It’s a lesson that mankind still needs to learn. The raised, clenched fist has too often been the logo of a just cause, but Jesus taught us a different way, which doesn’t involve anger and raised fists. 

Jesus taught us to follow Him, to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. That means to love and forgive our enemies, to seek humility, and believe that all things are possible with God. Jesus lived the words of Zechariah, by example, “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit”, says the Lord Almighty. 

That holy Temple was finally rebuilt, with Zechariah’s inspiration. It was in existence during the life of Jesus, who graced its courts many times. Now He graces our temple, since He dwells in us, by His Holy Spirit. 

Today’s scripture verse is comforting when we believe it and speak it to ourselves. When facing difficult problems, after we have exhausted all that we know how to do, there comes a time to stop struggling in our own might, and give it to God. 

It can mysteriously refresh a weary soul, to mean it with our whole being and finally say,

“It will be done not by my might nor by my power, Lord, but by your Spirit.”

Lord, help us to find the greatest peace in surrendering everything to you. By your Spirit, all of our battles will be won, and help us to keep following you in all we do. Amen

“So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

Galatians 6:10 (ESV)

God intended for believers to exist like a family and a community who bear each other’s burdens and pray for one another. The household of faith that Paul writes to the Galatians about, is a community more intimate than an entire church congregation, or the church across nations, full of people we don’t know. It’s an intimate family of believers. 

The household of faith has a more personal reference, to that small community of friends who we see regularly and share our day to day prayer needs with. They are immediately accessible because they are part of our family of faith. They’re the ones we share our burdens, our hopes and our prayers with, and who do good for one another. We may not share the same physical house, but we are of the same household of faith. 

When I gave birth to twin boys in 1980, I had no forewarning that I was carrying twins throughout my first and only pregnancy. I came home from the hospital with two babies instead of one. I had one crib, one car seat, one of everything and two babies. I was surprised to learn that the women’s group in my church had organized a schedule of ladies who prepared and delivered a home cooked meal to my home, every day for two weeks. It was a beautiful example of the household of faith. 

The household of faith doesn’t mean everyone has the same opinions, or likes the same things. God created every person and every species of creation with individual uniqueness. If we look closer at nature, we recognize that each different species of birds have their own unique song that they sing. I’ve learned to tell whether a cardinal or a blue jay is in my back yard without ever seeing them. I can tell by each one’s unique song, which bird is nearby.

God also gave us our own unique song to sing as well. The more we accept that each person was created to be their own individual self, the easier it is to accept our differences. We each have a unique calling, with different gifts, different likes and dislikes, yet when it comes to faith, we are all being drawn by one Spirit, towards Jesus, who God gave to the whole world. 

He is on a gathering mission, to seek, gather, and save anyone who is lost. Then He sends us out to sing our own unique song, and to do good for the world around us, with the gifts we were given. We are gathered together into one household of faith, which is the body of Christ in this world. 

Lord, you know that we live in perilous times, but help us to keep doing good for those around us and for those within our household of faith. Use us with our own unique gifts, to help seek, gather and save all who are lost. Amen

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe.”

John 11:25-27 (RSV)

Since Martha had her own time line of expectations, she told Jesus that He arrived too late to save her brother, so Jesus had to set Martha straight on some facts. 

The fact is that He wasn’t late at all, but had good reasons to wait four days before resurrecting him. 

Another fact is that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and we can put all our hope in Him, whether we think He is on time or not.

The most important fact of all, is that whoever believes in Jesus will live, even if they die. 

After laying out those facts, Jesus looked for Martha’s response by asking her, “Do you believe this?” She answered “Yes, Lord, I believe.”

There’s a word in first century Judaism that adequately expressed the adoration, joy and praise that Jesus is worthy of, and that word is “Hosanna.” 

The town of Bethany saw Lazarus walk out of a tomb, fully alive after four days, which was an incredible Hosanna moment for those residents to witness. Hosanna moments are not just for Palm Sunday. They are the surprise blessings that lift our spirit to a new level of joy.

We’ve all had Hosanna moments at various times in our lives. It could have been when a particular prayer was answered, a long time problem was solved, or a difficult goal was finally achieved. Reminiscing on past Hosanna moments, restores our joy and places our focus on Jesus, instead of the problem, so we can say like Martha, “Yes Lord, I believe.”

One of my memorable Hosanna moments occurred many years ago, involving a traffic ticket for a moving violation. I made a proper stop at a stop sign, and then moved forward to look around a big pine tree that blocked my view. The officer only saw me move forward, not seeing  my initial stop, and gave me a ticket. I decided to go to court and dispute it.

I was telling the story to my boss at the time, and he advised me to go to court, but be factual, not emotional. 

I asked him how to be factual, and he suggested that I bring a photo to court, so I returned to that corner and took a photo of that large pine tree that blocked my view.

The court date arrived, and I prayed for God’s help. I told my story to the judge, giving him the photo of the obstructive pine tree. He kept my photo and slammed his gavel down, saying, “Not guilty! ..next….”

It was that quick, no questions asked, just a photo and a fact that sealed his decision. As I headed out, an attorney in the back of the courtroom, leaned in and whispered “Good job.” I was filled with joy and gratitude to God, who helped me win, just by sticking to the facts. My boss’s wise advice led to a Hosanna moment for me.

There will be times in our life when we need to rely on the facts, instead of our emotions. We may not always feel God’s unconditional love, mercy, or His forgiveness, but they are the facts of our faith. Jesus illustrated facts that we can rely on, like His sacrifice at the cross, victory in His resurrection, and His beatitudes for successful Christian living. 

We believe what Jesus taught us, not because we feel it, but because facts are truth, and truth is greater than feelings. 

When we stick to the facts of our faith, and remember the joy of past Hosanna moments, we can fully invest ourselves in Jesus and say like Martha, “Yes Lord, I believe.”

Lord, thank you for the facts of your unlimited love, mercy, forgiveness, healing and your promise to be with us forever. We offer our Hosanna praises to you today and always. Amen

“When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

Mark 10:14 (NIV)

We don’t see many passages in the gospels that refer to Jesus as being indignant, except when He scolded the Pharisees for misleading the people, or the money changers who used the temple for their personal gain. So two things that definitely made Jesus angry were false leaders and the misuse of His Father’s house. 

There was another thing that also made Jesus indignant, which was when children were prevented from coming to Him. Parents attempted to bring their children to Jesus, so that He would bless them, but the disciples pushed them away and kept rebuking them. Mark says that this made Jesus “indignant.” He saw it as an injustice done to the children, treating them as unworthy of His attention. Bringing all the children to Jesus was deeply meaningful to Him. 

I heard a woman in her late eighties share a story she remembered from her grade school days. She grew up attending a Catholic grammar school in Evanston, Illinois, during the Second World War. Her school was eight miles east of a well known Illinois Naval base at the time. Each time a naval military plane took off from that base, everyone knew it was headed for combat in wartime. Whenever they heard a naval plane flying over the school, the teacher would have every child stop what they were doing, bow their heads and pray together for that specific pilot flying over them.

Years later, whenever the lady heard war stories about a pilot’s rare survival who originated from that naval base, she always wondered if it was because of the prayers offered up by her classroom during the war.

The kingdom of God belongs to children, as Jesus said, and He invites all children to come to Him. He stood a child in front of the crowd and told everyone to become like that child, because children are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

(Matthew 18:3-4)

Jesus also said that the pure in heart shall see God, and children have the purest hearts. Each time the teacher told her classroom to pray for the specific pilot flying over their school, the children prayed with pure hearts, believing every prayer was truly making a difference in a pilot’s life.

It’s what Jesus is looking for in everyone, the pure and simple heart of a child. I believe there’s a childlike heart buried within all of us, or else Jesus wouldn’t have told us to “become like a child.” He knows that we can rediscover the childlike heart within us. It may have been buried by the problems and worries of adult living, but it’s there and He knows we can find it again. 

If children are the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven, then so are their prayers. Eternity will one day reveal all the miracles that ever happened, simply as the result of the greatest prayers offered by little children.

Lord, bless the children in the world by answering their prayers, and help us to rediscover the childlike heart within us, that we may pray with the pure hearted faith of the child. Amen

“So he went and did everything according to the word of the Lord, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook.”

1 Kings 17:5-6 (NASB)

This Bible story describes how ravens brought food to the prophet Elijah twice a day, after he was sent into hiding, being hunted down by an evil king. The Lord told Elijah to reside by a certain brook and drink the water, while He commanded the ravens to bring him food twice a day. 

The story always sounded mythical, with ravens doing such things, until noticing a most interesting and unusual behavior among the wild birds that I routinely feed in my yard each morning. 

Since retirement has slowed down my pace of living, I started to enjoy feeding birds every morning. I leave them crumbs of whole grain bread in a certain area of my yard and watch as ten or more little birds come and eat the bread crumbs within minutes. Sometimes they are joined by a rabbit and a squirrel, but it’s the behavior of the birds that most fascinates me.

Later on some mornings I would find one single bread crumb lying on my front doorstep and I know I didn’t drop it there. It had to be a bird, giving it back at my front door. 

I wondered if I was going crazy for thinking that a bird could be giving me a thank you gift?

I became so curious about this that I looked it up on line to see what the experts say. Lo and behold there are a multitude of articles on line about a species of “gift giving birds!” 

Scientists say that birds who are members of the “Corvid” species, are the smartest of all wild birds, known to bestow gifts on people who they see as taking care of them. 

Scientific evidence shows that Corvids act differently around people they are familiar with. The species includes crows, ravens, jays, magpies and jackdaws. I had to look their images up to see if any looked familiar. The magpie looks like the small black and white bird who flew up to my front window one day, looking into my home. 

There is even an article on line about an eight year old girl who fed crows every day and one brought her back a gold heart locket, leaving it for her as a gift. Crows are attracted to shiny things and scavenge anything such as beads, buttons, earrings, jewelry, paper clips or any other shiny item lying lost on the ground. They then give their shiny gifts to a caring human.

I was thoroughly amazed at the  many true stories described by researchers about wild birds who reciprocate the kindness that humans show them, by leaving gifts.

I hope I am not boring anyone with all this bird info, but it seemed that learning all this was extremely therapeutic for me. It has been an exceptionally stress filled week trying to get Medicaid approval for a much needed CT for Jon. He needs the scan to rule out hydrocephalus, and ensure that the shunt in his brain is still working. An appointment was supposedly made, but later it wasn’t, which led to a lot of confusion from the NH.  The Nursing Director said he will try to get his scan scheduled. 

Sometimes if we set ourselves apart from all the stressors of daily life, and focus on some aspect of nature, it can have a very calming effect. For some it might mean being near a body of water, a forest or mountains. The more we appreciate nature, the more we love the God who created it all, and can truly relax.

I found a new joy in learning amazing facts about wild birds and observing their behavior, particularly in leaving gifts of bread crumbs on my front doorstep. When we think about it, the behavior and instincts of these gift giving birds is simply reflective of the Creator who made them all. 

“Giving back a gift to the Giver,” is a concept that is instinctual in birds because their Creator placed it within them. We humans do it as well, and also teach it to our children. Whether in secular or faith matters, giving back to the Giver is always the right thing to do. 

We give back to God by giving Him our time, talents and our treasures, since everything we have comes from Him. Whatever we give back to Him is like a little breadcrumb that we leave on His doorstep each day. 

Lord, all creation sings of your glory, and we can see your majesty from the smallest creatures in nature to the vastness of the oceans, mountains and forests. Complete your peace in us as we see your love through all that you have made. Amen