They ate our green beans. Birds—common yard sparrows—dove into our garden plot and munched the blossoms down to nubby stalks.
My husband was ticked. Don’t mess with the man’s garden. He replanted and covered the new sprouts with netting.
A few days later, I stood at the kitchen window rinsing dishes. Commotion near the corner fence caught my eye. I squinted for a closer look. Sure enough, a bird flopped on top of the garden net like a beached fish.
The poor thing was stuck.
Great, I grumbled. The net was supposed to protect our beans, not torture animals. I grabbed a pair of scissors and some gardening gloves.
“Want to see a bird up close?” I asked my five-year-old daughter.
“Where?” Her eyes grew round.
“In the garden. Follow me.”
Imagine lying bound and gagged while Godzilla approaches wielding sharp objects. That must’ve been how the bird felt as I walked toward it. At first, it flapped its wings in a blur of feathers, frantic to escape. Then when I reached the net, the bird froze. Its chest ballooned and collapsed in quick, panicked breaths, but the rest of its body held strangely still. Carefully, without touching a single feather, I clipped the nylon mesh around its toes and set it free.
Darn beans. They aren’t worth it.
Sometimes, my children are like that bird. How many times have I told them not to eat the beans, so to speak? Don’t jump off the sofa; you’ll get hurt. Don’t devour too much popcorn; you’ll get a tummy ache. If you say the word “poopy” one more time, I will send you to the naughty chair. So we build rules like nets to protect them from themselves.
Yet if I dig a little deeper, I realize, I am like that bird, too.
Don’t blow your top at the kids; you’ll regret it.
Don’t give pride a voice; you’ll wound your husband’s heart.
Don’t wish for someone else’s stuff; you’ll lose sight of what’s already yours.
Don’t log onto e-mail more than you look into your children’s eyes; you’ll miss your own life passing by.
The Master Gardener watches from his window and sees me flailing. He draws near, whispering to my anxious, injured soul. My child, how many times do I have to tell you? Temptation is a tangled net. Fly into it, and it will own you.
I write this blog because my life is a mixed bag of blessings and mess. And I hear you sigh, mine too. Motherhood reveals the ugliest and the most beautiful parts of our souls. So I show up here every week to point it all to God—praising him for the beauty, and trusting him to redeem the mess like only he can.
Which leads me back to the bird. Our garden story has a twist. After I snipped the netting, the stunned creature remained motionless for a moment. Then, in a surge of hope and courage, it flapped a wing, lifted its foot and flew!—straight into the hole I’d just cut in the mesh. The crazy thing jailed itself beneath the net.
“Over there, birdie, fly back up through the hole!” My daughter and I gestured wildly toward the exit, as if the bird spoke Godzilla’s language. It hopped around in confusion, tried to lift off, and banged its head against the net. Finally, it squeezed through a small opening in the surrounding fence, and was free.
“Yay! It’s out, it’s out!” We clapped our hands and laughed. Victory for the bird!
Victory for all of us. It’s out there—if we know where to find it.
“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it,” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
God cuts the hole in our net. We’re going to get tangled sometimes—that’s for certain. But when we do, our gentle Lord holds the scissors. He points toward the exit and cheers us on to freedom.
How do I know?
{I can’t resist.}
A little birdie told me.
Whenever clouds arise,
When song gives place to sighing,
When hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him,
For care he sets me free.
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know he watches me.
And now for a birthday giveaway!
Happy birthday to the blog! This week marks Time Out’s first full year of mom mishaps and encouragement. To celebrate, throughout the week I’ll be highlighting on Facebook some of my favorite posts from the past year. Join me there to win prizes! (What’s a birthday bash without presents, right?)
I’ll be giving away special gifts created by my friend and Hallmark/Dayspring signature designer, Jeanne Winters. Enter to win her beautiful book, Inspirational Home, or the 8×10 print of your choice from Jeanne’s delightful Etsy collection.
Two ways to enter:
1. “Like” my Facebook page and/or
2. Share a Time Out devotion, then leave a comment on the blog or on Facebook to let me know you’ve spread the joy. I’ll enter your name in the drawing for every post you share.
Winners will be announced next week! Thank you all for joining me here. I count you among my blessings, and I sincerely hope this blog is a blessing to you as well.
Linking up with: The Better Mom, Playdates With God, Mommy Moments, Titus 2sdays, Domestically Divine Tuesday, Living Well Wednesdays, Grace at Home, Things I Can’t Say, Thought Provoking Thursday and Faithfully Parenting Fridays.
Again, you’ve nailed it on the head 🙂 Love it.
Loved it Becky girl 🙂
Hi..we are neighbors today at PD…happy blog birthday…i too just celebrated my one year anniversary…great post…Yes His eye is on the sparrow…He watches over me/us. blessings to you~
Happy anniversary!
I really enjoyed and related to this post. Thank you for sharing this timeless message. I especially loved the part about the Lord cheering us to victory. 🙂 I will be sharing this. 🙂
Thank you for sharing!
Hello sweet girl! I have a new blog, hope you will follow me there!
http://southerngirlsheart.blogspot.com/
Lovely new blog!
Beautiful writing but most of all, God used this to speak to my heart. I’m thankful that God cuts holes in our nets.
Oh, that makes me so happy to hear, Pamela. Blessings to you!
Your posts are always so encouraging! Thanks for linking up with me for Mommy Moments:)
http://the-life-of-faith.blogspot.com/
Great post – I liked your fb page and am looking forward to reading more posts. 🙂
Thank you, and welcome to my FB space!
Just found you through Shell! So glad I did. What an encouraging post, I love how you said not to check your email more than you look into your child’s eyes. Its something I struggle with, but Im going to put it all away tomorrow and really be in the moment with my boys. Beautiful writing! I cant wait to read more!
How did it go today… putting it all away and looking into your boys’ eyes? 🙂 Thanks for reading, Jessica!
A very nice analogy through and through.
Hi Becky! Thank you for stopping by my site on Monday, and Congrats on the bloggy birthday! What a great site you have. Here’s to many more years of encouraging words!
Thanks, Susan!
Love, love this post. So inspiring.
What an inspiring post!
Stopping by from Shell’s PYHO 🙂
I love this story, Becky! It’s so true and what a perfect picture of how Christ comes to set us free. I love that your daughter was in on this life lesson with you as well. Great post as always and congrats on the birthday of your blog! 🙂
Thank you, Beth!
Oh how this one gets to me: “Don’t log onto e-mail more than you look into your children’s eyes; you’ll miss your own life passing by.”
A beautiful lesson from a sparrow. Thank you so much for sharing this. It touched my heart.
What a great lesson! The line that spoke most to me was about checking email. My kids are grown, but I don’t want my real life to pass me by in favor of a virtual one! thanks
YES!! This is a wonderful story and a fantastic application. Thank you for sharing it.
Congratulations on your anniversary! You’re a gifted writer, Becky. So glad to know you!
Thank you, Richella! I’m so glad to know you, too!
I really loved this Becky! Amazing!
Great tips, thanks for linking!