Mensahe ng Isang Pugad

May isang ibon na naligaw sa paggawa ng pugad nya sa harap ng bahay namin sa Dasma Cavite. May tanim doon na isang bush, madahon din. Wala na siguro siyang mahanap na puno o type nya lang talaga sa amin kasi di namin binabato ang mga ibon. We like to see God's creatures. Anyway, akala ko nagkamali lang. Isang araw, may nag-appear na nesting material na medyo pabilog na ang porma sa singit ng maliit na branch. "O, bakit nandito ito?” “Sweetheart, tingnan mo may nest, o.”

“Oo nga, ano? Ang cute! Oy Jed, h’wag mong sirain!!!” Jed is our youngest.

“What a stupid bird,” sabi ko. Pero teka. Naalala ko yung sa Matt. 6 about the birds. Sabi doon,

6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry¹ about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing? 6:26 Look at the birds in the sky:² They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds³ them. Aren’t you more valuable⁴ than they are? 6:27 And which of you by worrying can add even one hour to his life?⁵ (Matt. 6:25-27, NET Bible)

Siguro, in some mysterious way, pinadala ng Lord ang ibon to us tell us that he oversees the details of where that bird would set up her nest. Did she know we were kind people who would not harm the nest and the nestlings, kung sakali? No. Did she get permission from the village administrator just in case she violated the statement of limitations ng homeowners association? Nope. The nest is hidden, at hindi naman makikita kung di mo alam. Pwera na lang kung maingay siya.

And last night, meron nang isang egg. Mabubuhay kaya yon? Papaano lilimliman ng inahin? I don’t know. But God says he knows and he cares.

Thinking more about it, palagay ko there is a deeper meaning doon. Kasi, kung iisipin mo, saan hahantong ang ginagawa ng bird? Yung egg ba ay magha-hatch o maa-abort? Anong mangyayari sa nest? May relation kasi ito sa devotion namin sa office last Monday. May nag-share about legacy and the significance of what one is doing for God. Maganda kung ang ginagawa mo ay significant for the kingdom. Pero mas maganda kung naipasa mo sa ibang magpapatuloy ng vision na binigay ni Lord. Ang isa sa pinaka-poignant ay kung naipasa mo sa mga anak mo ang vision ni Lord. Ang struggle lang ng nag-share ay wala siyang anak na lalaki. He had always wanted a son to disciple and bring up in the Lord.

The following is a poem I lifted from a workbook on leadership we are studying at the office.

Just Suppose

by Phil Hodges from the book Lead Like Jesus: Beginning the Journey (published in the Philippines by Church Strengthening Ministry, with permission from Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2003), p. 135.

Just suppose, when I pray, there really is someone listening who cares about me and wants to know what's on my mind

Just suppose, when I pray, it changes me and my view of how the universe operates and who is involved

Just suppose, I put my doubts aside for a minute and consider the possibility that someone who knew me before I was born loves me, warts and all, without condition or reservation, no matter how badly I have behaved in the past.

Just suppose, a prayer was my first response instead of my last resort when facing a new challenge or an old temptation.

Just suppose, I lived each day, knowing that there is an inexhaustible supply of love for me to pass along to others.

Just suppose.

Notes:

1Or “do not be anxious,” and so throughout the rest of this paragraph.

2Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word ούρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).

3Or “God gives them food to eat.” L&N 23.6 has both “to provide food for” and “to give food to someone to eat.”

4Grk “of more value.”

5Or “a cubit to his height.” A cubit (πήχυς, phēcus") can measure length (normally about 45 cm or 18 inches) or time (a small unit, “hour” is usually used [BDAG 812 s.v.] although “day” has been suggested [L&N 67.151]). The term ήλικία (hēlikia) is ambiguous in the same way as πήχυς (phēcus). Most scholars take the term to describe age or length of life here, although a few refer it to bodily stature (see BDAG 436 s.v. 3 for discussion). Worry about length of life seems a more natural figure than worry about height. However, the point either way is clear: Worrying adds nothing to life span or height.