I have a balcony at my house. Every summer I delight in nature as I plant flowers and feed hummingbirds. It is the place is where I can be found from Spring until Winter...sitting outside...breathing the fresh air...marveling at nature.

Five days ago I was watering the planters along the balcony railing. As I did, I looked inside one planter and saw a perfect round nest...so perfect that at first I thought it was a joke, that someone in my family had "put" it there (as if one can just go out and buy a bird's nest somewhere...well, this is America, one probably can...anyway it was perfectly round!). One minute it wasn't there, the next minute"poof" there it was! I was intrigued by the prospect of baby birds beingg born on my balcony (that sounds a bit  like a Dr. Suess book title...lol) and began my daily "watching" of the nest.

I saw the mother bird, a robin, sitting in the nest one day. She was, how can I say this nicely, "HUGE", the fattest robin I had ever seen. She sat in the nest and looked at me... barely tolerant of my incessant peering through the sliding doors windows at her. I tried to be ninja-esk but that is not one of  my gifts. Each time I tried to see what she was doing she gave me a look as if saying"you again, don't you ever sleep?...ugh" and then she would hop off the nest and fly down to the ground below. When she left the nest she watched me intensely...I was almost afraid to water the plants, picturing her flying directly at me, pecking my face furiously...instead she just watched, her tiny little eyes following my every move.

The first evening when I checked inside the nest, there was a perfect blue egg. I was surprised that she had left it alone. I had thought that once an egg was laid, the mother had to sit on it for it to hatch.
Day two, same scenario...mama bird sits on nest...mama bird gives me the evil eye when I come out to water plants...mama bird flies away from nest...mama bird freaks me out with thoughts of the movie "the birds"...I rush through watering the plants and quickly turn the balcony back over to her. At the end of day two...there were two eggs. This continued until yesterday...now there are four.

The prospect of baby birds residing just outside my bedroom window is exciting. The placement of this nest makes it so easy to see everything. How often does one get a gift like this. I begin (as I always do) to ponder...what does this mean?...what is God trying to show me?

Everything in life has a lesson wrapped up neatly inside of it...a parable of sorts. All of the truth of God's kingdom plays out in nature. Watching what happens in nature helps me understand God's character and creative abilities. It proves His order and great attention to detail. It showcases His love and His Sovereignty...

Over the years I have noticed the trend of God using nature to exemplify a point to me. As I prepare for my mission trip to Malawi, God has been reminding me that He is "doing a new thing"...now literally He is doing many "new" things...but there is an underlying maturation going on that will be used in my ministry for His kingdom. As this unfolds, the revelations that I am having seem to be corresponding directly to the robin and her eggs...

Each day God reveals a new "egg"...each egg looks the same, but inside are completely distinct creatures. The nest in which He is placing this newness seemingly popped up in perfect form overnight just like the new things that He is speaking into my heart...and as He delivers one egg at a time, He makes me wait...each day He watches me from a nearby place as I peer inside and look at what has been birthed...it is an extraordinary experience.

God is not using a fancy bird, but the most common of birds in this region; a robin. God is not placing the nest in a tree high above me where I can only speculate what cool things are happening inside, but has given me an up close and personal "birds eye view" (sorry I couldn't help myself :))...God hasn't distanced me from the birth, but rather included me somehow in the process...He is doing a new thing!

"the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you." -
Isaiah 42: 9

"He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God." - Psalm 40:3

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail, they are new every morning." - Lamentations 3:23

"Whoever has ears, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it." - Revelation 2:17

These are merely a few scriptures from God's word that speak of newness...God is constantly doing a new thing. He is the only one capable of creating something new. He wants to create in us a new heart...He wants to birth a spirit who yields their will to His and lives in a new peace along with Him...through the shed blood of Jesus Christ all of us can be "new".

I am excited to see the babies hatch and grow...I know that God will be teaching me many lessons for my life from this wonderful little gift. As I prepare for Malawi and for my service to God in all capacities, I remain willing to experience the "new" things that He generously is birthing in my life.

Thank you Lord that you are willing and able to make all things "new"!