written by Jean Daniel

Just outside my screened-in porch, I have a small birdhouse. A pair of chickadees chose it as their nursery for the spring and began building a nest. After they carried straw for a few days, Momma Chickadee answered the call of nature and laid her eggs. She patiently sat until the time was right for her babies to hatch. I enjoyed watching all of this from my swing on the porch.

Although I could not see into the birdhouse, I could tell when the babies arrived because Momma and Daddy Chickadee began the never-ending task of feeding those mouths just begging for a bug or juicy worm. But when I sat on the porch swing, the parents would not come feed the babies. I was a hindrance to the feeding process. If I moved farther away from their sight, the feeding would continue. The babies were hungry but I became an obstacle to their being satisfied.

Give us this day, our daily bread. – Mathew 6:11, KJV

We are the children of God and also need to be fed. Just like the baby birds, we have the daily need for our spiritual hunger to be satisfied.  We are longing to be filled with God’s love, His compassion, His grace, His mercy, His forgiveness.  We might not enjoy the same bug nourishment as the birds, but we can be filled daily through time spent with God Himself and by reading his Word, spending time in prayer, and sharing fellowship with other believers.

Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment. – 1 Peter 2:2

Is there something that is hindering you from crying out for nourishment? Is there an obstacle preventing you from seeking nourishment from your Father? What are you harboring in your heart that is preventing you from receiving the daily bread that God wants to extend to you? Anger? Bitterness? Jealousy? The need to forgive? Is life too busy? Do you allow habits or little secrets to supplement the nourishment you really need? Examine your life to see what fills the space between you and God!

God wants to feed you. He desperately wants to feed you! What do you need to remove from your life to be fed daily bread? Just as the baby chickadees trust their parents will feed them and that they will grow strong and one day fly, may you cast earthly things aside, for “those who trust in the Lord, will find new strength and soar high on wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31).

-Jean Daniel taught school for thirty years and loves worshiping at SoHills with many of her former students. She is the grandmother of six and loves to read, write, care for her flowers and watch the birds from her back porch.