Just as that man cleans up any mess to keep the rodents away, so too does God surround me with Grace so that I have the capacity to resist the temptation of the Evil One.
About a month ago, I attended a work-Christmas party with my husband.
My husband has worked for his company for almost twenty years, and for every year that I have known him, I have been invited along to attend his work Christmas party. And every year, I have attended with him. And so, over the years, I have got to know w few of his colleagues and their partners through our annual interactions over the dinner table.
This year, we once again sat with an older man who works with my husband and who is close to retirement age. And as we made small talk, I was reminded of his hobbies.
You see, this man loves birds. He breeds and cares for hundreds of birds. He does not do this to make money, and simply sells enough birds to cover his expenses and break even. He does this because he simply loves these birds.
And as we were speaking, his entire demeanour changed. As soon as we began to speak about his birds, his face lit up and his body-language changed.
And speaking to this older man about his hobby and his birds started me thinking about God…
You see, I asked this man how he kept the rats and mice under control if he was raising literally hundreds of birds in his backyard. And he told me that the answer was very simple – cleanliness. He made sure that his aviaries were entirely enclosed so that his birds would be safe, and he made sure that he cleaned the aviaries daily and once a week scrubbed them down. He also made sure that the bird food was safely stowed away and that if anything spilled it was vacuumed up and packed away so that it would not draw rodents to the area.
And I have been thinking about that because it is not much different from what God does for me. You see, just as this older man places his birds inside a closed aviary so that they are safe from rodents, God places me inside His own Heart, so that I am safe from the Evil One.
And just as that older man spends time each day and each week cleaning out his aviaries and tending to his birds, so too does God take care of me – giving me INFINITE time to care for me and provide for me.
And just as that older man cleans up any mess to keep the rodents away, so too does God ensure that He surrounds me with Grace so that I have the capacity to resist the temptation of the Evil One.
And when I think about that today, I can understand how merciful is the Lord my God… For to Him, I am less than a bird is to this older man, and yet, God takes INFINITE care of my most unworthy soul, and there is no way I could ever repay Him for that!
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.