CLEOEJACKSONIII.COM
  • My Home Page
  • My Life and Ministry
  • My Ongoing Thoughts
  • My Favorite Bible Verses
  • My Favorite Stories
  • My Favorite Jokes
  • My Favorite Quotations
  • My Favorite Web Links
  • My Contact Info
"Helping Others Communicate"

BIRD OF PASSAGE

3/24/2020

 
It has been a full week since my last blog post.  Admittedly, I rarely go this long without sharing a thought or two; but to be honest, my wife and I have just been extremely busy.
 
I used to hear retirees say that they quickly discovered that they were much busier after they retired than they had ever been before.  My own father-in-law once told me that he found that he could never seem to get everything done once he retired; and that he often wondered how he had ever gotten anything done back when he was working.

Let me simply state that I am beginning to appreciate these sentiments.  When people ask me how I am enjoying retirement, I tell them that I do not yet know.  This is because I seem to be working harder now than I did before I officially retired.  My wife and I spent the first week of my so-called retirement packing up and moving my books and other possessions out of the church office.

I spent the second week running a million errands, making changes in accounts, swapping phone and internet service, etc, etc… 

And now, in this third week, my wife and I have finally turned our attention to our home as we prepare to sell it in order to transition to our new place of residence.  As any of you who have ever sold a home, moved to a new community, and gotten established there well know, this process can be daunting.

Unfortunately, all of these things have unfolded in the midst of the worst pandemic of the modern era, as the impact of the coronavirus has now begun making itself known in unprecedented ways in all of our lives. 

I will admit that those folks who told me that there would be a certain amount of insecurity brought on by normal life changes associated with retirement were correct.  My wife and I have experienced each of these things in turn.  But in many ways, these uncertainties in our life have only been intensified and exacerbated by the societal impact of the Covid-19 virus. 

Like many of you with aging parents and/or small grandchildren, my wife and I cannot help but be concerned about what is happening in the world around us.  For this reason, we have tried to hunker down and wait things out, dutifully practicing social distancing in the process.

All of this is certainly bad enough; but when being cooped up indoors is compounded by the excessive amount of rain we have been experiencing here in east Tennessee, one can quickly grow weary of the whole ordeal.  And this leads me to my point.  It seems the Lord knew this servant of His needed some encouragement in light of all these past few weeks have had to offer. 

As I was communing with Him in my heart over these very things early this morning, I happened to look out the window and see a most beautiful sight.  There, in the midst of the early morning mist, after yet another night of terrible storms, sat perched on a branch just outside my window a single bright red cardinal. 

This may not seem like much to you; but to me, in that moment, it was a powerful statement about the presence, the power, and the plan of Almighty God.  In a world seemingly full of repetitive dreariness and uncertainty, there shown forth a profound testament to God’s creative ability!  The stark contrast between the glorious red of that bird and its colorless surroundings spoke volumes about the power of Almighty God to provide hope in the midst of uncertain times!

In that one moment, as a simple cardinal sat singing away outside my window, a dark stormy night was giving way to a bright shining day!  A season of dreary winter was giving way to a season of dynamic spring!  In short, a season of death was giving way to season of life!

I, for one, needed that reassurance.  Like Noah of old, the world I had known was no more.  The 40 plus years spent as a Pastor seemed to have disappeared all too quickly; only to be replaced by a time of uncertainty cooped up in a dreary ark with little more than the list of tomorrow’s chores awaiting me for distraction.  Such circumstances can try one’s soul.

I was reminded of the Biblical story of Noah and his family as they found themselves cooped up on the ark.  After 150 straight days of rain, the Biblical Book of Genesis (in chapter 8, verses 8-11) tells us that the following took place…

8Then Noah sent out a dove to see if the waters had receded from the surface of the ground. 9But the dove found no place to rest her foot, and she returned to him in the ark, because water still covered the surface of all the earth. So he reached out his hand and brought her back inside the ark.

10Noah waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. 11
And behold, the dove returned to him in the evening with a freshly plucked olive leaf in her beak. So Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth.

I trust you see my point.  Right then and there, in a single instant, just as He had done for Noah of old, God sent me a simple little bird.  And the bird He sent aptly testified to His plans for the future, in order to remind me that He still had plans for this world, and for my me and my place in it! 

You see, like Noah of old, I too saw a “bird of passage”, reminding me that the old was passing away and the new was coming to be.  Clearly, God is even now in the process of making all things new, both in this world and in my life. 

I presume that Noah never forgot that single dove and the leaf representing newness of life in its mouth.  In like manner, I too will always cherish the memory of that single cardinal and the message it had about the future!

What about you?  Are you weary of what life has served up?  Do you find yourself tempted to give way to fear and doubt as a result?  Then take heart, my friend; for you are not alone!  And take it from this servant of the one true God – He is not done with either this world or with you and your place in it!  If you want proof of this, then simply ask Him for it.  I assure you, my friend - He will certainly deliver it! 

SCRIPTURE SOURCE:  https://biblehub.com/bsb/genesis/8.htm.

Comments are closed.

    Cleo E. Jackson, III

    Occasionally I will add
    a few thoughts to my blog. If you find them inspirational, I will be
    honored.

    Archives

    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010

    Categories

    All