I was mindlessly trimming the branches off the deck rail, when I saw it fall. It was perfect. Freshly completed. Intricately fashioned. A beautiful bird’s nest. Knowing the amount of tiresome toil that went into the making of it, my throat closed up and I choked back tears. The work of a mother. Often unseen. So much of it unappreciated. And on the ground at my feet, this mother’s labor lay. I could barely bare it.
Washing dishes that evening, I saw the delicate cardinal return. She jumped in the hedge and back out again. Over and over. It was beyond difficult to take in. And finally, with a heavy heart, I watched as she jumped out for the last time and flew away.
Back to work. No rest for the weary.
From one mama bird to another, I see you.
And though I worry, fret, and complain more than I care to admit, in this moment, I join you in your strong and unfailing song.
“Work is a blessing. God has so arranged the world that work is necessary, and He gives us hands and strength to do it. The enjoyment of leisure would be nothing if we had only leisure. It is the joy of work well done that enables us to enjoy rest, just as it is the experiences of hunger and thirst that make food and drink such pleasures.”
-Elisabeth Elliot
