Like Birds on a Wire

Being naturally curious and prone to thinking about random things (especially while driving the car), I find myself frequently noticing and pondering this, “Why do birds on a wire sit so far apart from each other?”

I researched the question and various “non-experts” seem to agree that the electricity in the wire keeps them warm, so that is why they sit on the wire. No one comments on why they do not sit close together. I’ve done some observational research, while driving from pillar to post, attempting to answer this question and others that crop up. Isn’t it cold and windy up there in the winter, even if their little feet are warm? Why don’t they choose to sit in a tree where they are protected? Why are they not sitting closer together? Do they not like one another? Are they afraid that if they get too close they may catch some bird disease? Did they have a bad experience with another bird almost knocking them off the wire and thus are hesitant to trust other birds? How do they keep their balance? Do they sleep up there or are they awake? Are they afraid?

Regrettably, I have no answers for any of the above questions.

However, it led me to thinking about how we sometimes (may I be so bold to say, often times) are like birds on a wire. Instead of seeking safe shelter, we put ourselves out in the elements without protection. We find precarious places to sit or stand that feel warmer, clinging on for dear life, when really there are safer places for us to rest and a safer One to cling to. We sit alone. We have been hurt by others. We are afraid of getting too close. We don’t trust others, because – well, because experience shows us that getting too friendly means that we’ll get hurt, somehow, someway, someday.

And yet the irony is that we, in an attempt to “play it safe” and not huddle together, we run the risk of being more prone to predators – doubts, fears, temptations.

As lovers of the Lord Jesus, we are to gather together. We are to warm each other with His Words and His truths. We are all going to go through “chilly” seasons when we may feel as if we are alone and we lose sight of what is right and true. We need each other. We need to care for one another, hold one another accountable and love one another with a Christ-like love. We need to seek safe shelter in the Lord, together, encouraging one another day in and day out (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

Dear reader, are you feeling like a lone bird on the wire? I do sometimes. First of all, draw near to the Lord (Hebrews 10:22). Spend time with Him, resting in the shadow of His protective wing (Psalm 91:4). And then ask Him to show you who “safe” people are – people you can trust, people who love the Lord and people who will not allow you to wander or grow faint. People who will stand by you.

Or perhaps today you are not the bird on the wire, but you see little lone birds around you. Ask the Lord to show you people whom you can minister to. Listen to their heart. Reach out to them and allow them to share their pain. Keep it confidential. Speak truth in love. Share your life with them and help bring balance to their lives. Pray for them and lead them to the place of perfect shelter, Jesus.