The Singing of the Birds

This morning I awoke to hear birds singing outside. It just makes me feel good and alive. It makes me feel there is hope.

 

I always liked the fairy tale "The Nightingale" by Hans Christian Andersen.

 

The Emperor of China had heard that the most beautiful thing in his empire is the singing of the nightingale. So he ordered that the Nightingale be brought to the palace. There the nightingale sings and becomes the emperor's favorite.

But one day the Emperor is given a beautiful, jeweled, mechanical bird. Soon it replaces the nightingale as the emperor's favorite and so the Nightingale returns to the forest. The mechanical bird finally breaks and the emperor becomes deathly ill.

The Nightingale,  upon hearing about the Emperor, returns to the palace and again sings for the Emperor. The Emperor quickly recovers as he hears the beautiful singing of the Nightingale.

 

Sometimes in life we replace things that are real with things that are only temporary or that really don't last.

 

When if we just look around us at what we already have. 

 

This morning when I heard the birds sing, I thought God has given me a new day, new mercies, a new day to enjoy all the many blessings that He has given me.

I really already have the song of the nightingale in my life.

 

Every time I get a hug from one of my grandkids, I already have all the riches I need in the world.

When a friend writes me an encouraging note - I don't need to find new friends, I just need to cherish the ones I already have.

 

Thank you God for the beautiful song I heard this morning.

Unconditional Love

Well here it is another February. People are already planning special moments together for Valentine's Day.  A special day where we show our love to one another.

 

There are all kinds of love in this world. My favorite is unconditional love. That's a hard one.

I believe a mother has that kind of love to their children and grand children. They could never do anything to make me stop loving them.

I love them no matter what kind of mistakes they make and even if they do not return that kind of love to me. I always tell my kids and grandkids that they never have to tell me that they are sorry.

I've been there. I know what it is like to live in this world. It's not always easy. I tell them they are already forgiven.

 

I'm nobody special. I'm just a sinner saved by grace - God's grace. God showed me unconditional love one day. He died for me. He forgave me for all the mistakes I had made, all the sins I had committed. He loved me unconditionally - the best kind of LOVE there is.  I always call it a "No Matter What" Love.

1 John 4:10

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us,

 and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.