Saturday was a beautiful day.
Moving from a much smaller town in Texas to Houston, I had been getting a little homesick in my heart lately. I was missing my house. I was missing the trail to the creek. I was missing “my” creek and I had been missing the birds that I use to see all of the time: kiskadee, green jay, and the belted kingfisher to name a few.
Birding was a hobby I dabbled in while living in Kingsville, Texas. However, there was one bird I was always searching for and could never find that was present. It was a bird I should have seen in my 12 years of living there being a birder, but oddly enough I never did.
The one exception was the dead one I found at work right before I moved. That wasn’t the most uplifting moment and I felt it symbolized my dead marriage and that chapter in my life. A beautiful covenant dead. I never got to experience it the way God intended.
Yesterday, while at a church day retreat in La Grange. I set out with another church member to go birding to focus on God’s beautiful creation. As we entered a more dense area off the path, there were a lot of birds calling. I saw one land low on a branch ahead. With my bare eyes, I could see a reddish color on the breast. I first thought that maybe it was a robin, but it seemed too small. As I lifted my binoculars, it looked dark but had a yellow section close to the back of its neck. Immediately, I realized that this was a different bird and the rolodex of bird markings ran through my mind as I tried to figure it out getting my binoculars into better focus.
As I got into focus, it turned around parallel to me and I saw it. The red, blue, green, and yellow.
It was THE PAINTED BUNTING.
For twelve years I had waited to see this bird. I would think, “What a shame to leave Kingsville and never see it.” I had longed to mark it off my list and here it was…..but not where I was expecting.
*I wasn’t even looking for it.
*I didn’t realize I could see it here.
*It hadn’t even crossed my mind to look for it when setting out.
God was speaking to me in that moment and was reminding me to stay FOCUSED on HIM and he will bring what I’m searching for, looking for, working towards, and longing for.
He will present it to me.
Again.
He will present it to me.
There is no need to seek it out.
Scripture
Matthew 6:33 NIV
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Psalm 16:11 NIV You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Prayer
Dear God, What a blessing to be in communication with you. Thank you for the conversation and the surprises. You truly are the God of everlasting love. Thank you for calling me to refocus my eyes and attention on you
To God be the Glory
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