This morning as I went outside shortly after dawn, I saw one of my trusted barn cats approaching me with his "prize". This hard working fellow does a great job of keeping rodents out of the barn, and he always comes to me when he catches something to receive his praise.
This morning, however, it was different. I could see by the flapping in his mouth that he had a bird. As he came close I realized it was a very young turkey, probably from the adjacent field.
He dropped the little fellow at my feet and, instead of his usual praise, I shooed him off so that I could check the young turkey for life. Gently lifting him up, I could see that he had been damaged beyond repair and just cuddled him as his life departed.
Looking across the fence as the light grew brighter, I could see the mother bird was standing nearby, watching and waiting. As if she sensed that her baby was dead, she turned and went back to her other babies to care for them. She realized that she had many more needing her attention.
Later, I went over to that great barn cat, Brother, picked him up and just talked gently about what happened. Of course he couldn't understand my words, but he knew that even though I wasn't pleased with his prize I did appreciate his work on the farm.
This little event, common on a farm or any rural setting, was just one small example of how fragile life is and what a wonderful gift God has given us. And it reiterated very directly how important it is for us to live each day as if it is the last one of our life. Only God knows when our time on earth is over and we need to understand this and show it as we live on.
And the best part---this is just a beginning, for when we believe in Him and live our life accordingly we can look forward to eternity with Him. Think about that and the how this came about, for Jesus gave himself in the most horrific way so that we might live on after our earthly life. How glorious.
"For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16 (NKJV)
Have a wonderful day. God bless America.
This morning, however, it was different. I could see by the flapping in his mouth that he had a bird. As he came close I realized it was a very young turkey, probably from the adjacent field.
He dropped the little fellow at my feet and, instead of his usual praise, I shooed him off so that I could check the young turkey for life. Gently lifting him up, I could see that he had been damaged beyond repair and just cuddled him as his life departed.
Looking across the fence as the light grew brighter, I could see the mother bird was standing nearby, watching and waiting. As if she sensed that her baby was dead, she turned and went back to her other babies to care for them. She realized that she had many more needing her attention.
Later, I went over to that great barn cat, Brother, picked him up and just talked gently about what happened. Of course he couldn't understand my words, but he knew that even though I wasn't pleased with his prize I did appreciate his work on the farm.
This little event, common on a farm or any rural setting, was just one small example of how fragile life is and what a wonderful gift God has given us. And it reiterated very directly how important it is for us to live each day as if it is the last one of our life. Only God knows when our time on earth is over and we need to understand this and show it as we live on.
And the best part---this is just a beginning, for when we believe in Him and live our life accordingly we can look forward to eternity with Him. Think about that and the how this came about, for Jesus gave himself in the most horrific way so that we might live on after our earthly life. How glorious.
"For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16 (NKJV)
Have a wonderful day. God bless America.
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