ONCE WHEN I was a young fellow I was traveling by canoe down the river not far from a high waterfall. Already the water was flowing swiftly at this point, when I noticed a small young bird clinging to the branch of a tree which was floating down the stream near the shore.
A mother bird was fluttering around trying to get the young one to fly ashore, but it seemed afraid and would not move from the branch which was now rapidly approaching the falls. After trying in vain for some time, the little mother suddenly pushed the young one off the branch and it was forced to fly ashore to avoid falling into the water.
By what seemed a harsh act, the mother bird had saved the young one from going over the falls to its death.
Often the Lord works in this way too! Perhaps He has brought some sorrow into the life of one who reads these lines, and you are wondering why. The mother bird’s act seemed harsh but it was really in love and for the good of the young one. So if trial and sorrow lead you to the Lord, to find salvation and comfort in Him, it will be for your good too. How much better to suffer loss here, than to lose your soul forever. God has proved His love to us in giving His only begotten Son to die for our sins on Calvary. The Lord Jesus died there, He finished that great and blessed work of redemption, and now He waits to save all who will come to Him just as they are.
ML-10/15/1972