There it lay. Wings waving, twisting in the heat scorched blaze of a summer sky. Many walk by. My eyes fix to it’s noiseless cry. I can’t move. I stand protecting it, from passer byers crushing it with their busy feet. Heart aching for the plight of a lost one, fallen so far from its nest.
I stand and stare. It lay there defenseless to the elements. It’s mom sits in the carefully nit nest, high in the rafters far above.
She just looks down. Chirping. Helpless.
“What do we do?” I cry to my husband in a panic. Knowing in this rest stop with many passing by, she is sure to get squished by tired, purposed driven drivers looking for a restroom, wanting coffee or a cookie.
“Not sure”, he looks high into the banister, far above. “It’s too far up. Even if I wanted to reach up to put the baby chicky back where she belongs, I couldn’t reach it, all alone.”I look around. Panic rising like a tide within trying to suffocate all hope. “But, we just can’t leave. I can’t leave. We have to do something.”
Just then, strangers hear me panic. An older lady looks put-off, disgusted with my conflict.“Oh well, there is really nothing that can be done.” She tilts her nose, roles her eyes, and walks away. Others rush by, barely stopping. Their plans prevailing over a need seemingly so trivial, so irrelevant, so out of order with their previously planned agendas and destinations. Some look upon the need for a split second, then turn away, ignoring it entirely.
Then, younger ones gather around. Two brothers. And their girlfriends. “Can you put me on your shoulders?” One challenges almost instantly, his brother. Heroes are forming. Rising like the heat stricken sun on this already scorched day.
“I guess so”, the other non-nonchalantly responds.
Quickly, I grab a napkin. Another scoops the chick on top of it. Brother mounts brother. Husband and girlfriend grab the hero’s hands.
Strangers grip, forming a wall not easily broken. Rising one man to stand on the shoulders of the one below him.
And the four of them become a pillar to be reckoned with. They become this monument, this force, this tower of human courage, decency, compassionate willingness…right there in the middle of the rest stop.
Two men tall, three men strong, and a woman in the mix…they together hand over and place this baby chick right back in the nest, with it’s mom….where it belongs.
Then, the bearded hero jumps down. Tattoos and all.
There is no fanfare. No claps or cheers. No newspapers recording this heroic act of selflessness. Yet, God saw it all. We saw it. Experiencing the joy of rescuing another in need…and that made all the difference…to this one. This birdie saved because a few young people decided to stop. Look. See. And do….something. While, so many adults gave up…or didn’t even try….choosing not to see over trying and possibly failing. Did they close their hearts because one day long ago, they were that bird, and no one ever came for them?
Who knows.
Still, young people have dormant a secret power.
- They don’t care who sees.
- They are rarely in a hurry.
- They view the world as bigger than themselves.
- They are willing to chance, willing to go all out for another.
- Young people know how to team together.
- They know what their strengths are and how to use their resources.
- Young people care.
- They have not learned or don’t care about their chances at failure.
- Young people have open spirits.
- They are willing to risk.
- Willing to dare to be different…going against the crowd.
And those are all good things, secret powers, us as adults often forget as we get older.
As we get older, we often…
- Worry about how we look to those around us.
- Are way too in a hurry.
- Get caught up in ourselves.
- Fail to take chances especially for another.
- Tend to lean only upon our own strength.
- Looking mostly at our weaknesses and lack of resources.
- Giving up on some level of caring.
- Weigh and analyze too much our chance at failure.
- Shut down and put up walls.
- Stop being willing to risk.
- Don’t want to be different. And live to go with the crowd.
But, what if we could do something and knew we couldn’t fail? Would we live much more boldly? Would we live like courageous young people?
These four young people walk away from the feathered one, safe up in her nest.
They pull out cigarettes and smoke at their success. I look at their tatoos and rejoice that they weren’t of those that sat idoly by, fearing how they would look, over saving a baby bird.
They pull out cigarettes and smoke at their success. I look at their tatoos and rejoice that they weren’t of those that sat idoly by, fearing how they would look, over saving a baby bird.
They simply cared, and saw the meaning in this one. And at each puff….I saw God in them. A God who cares for the one. A God who loves and watches the sparrow, looking intentionally after each one. And at that moment, I didn’t want to be fully grown. I saw the power in taking hold of each others hands….strangers hands….and boldly reaching up. For more. For life. Out the compassion and desire for bringing a little one home.
And that was God. No doubt about it. That was God.
Teenagers walk away. I thank them. I don’t think they ever got that they were heroes that day. They never realized how out of the ordinary it was that they stopped, saw, did something.
They weren’t old enough to see all those faces that scoffed at us. The ones supposedly grown. Those that lost the meaning of life. Went on with their lives content letting a little birdie fall from her nest lay scorched, suffering, in the suns blaze on cement.
Yes, they have a power. Young people have a power. And many don’t even know it yet. While, many grown up…think they have all the power…..
And yet….really have none.
(Linking with Emily)
