I am fascinated by the killdeer birds we have on our place. It’s not just their strange call of “killdeer, dildee, dee, dee, dee,” but also their behavior. They are truly great dramatic actors.
The killdeer’s eggs are speckled with brown and black. They look like large pieces of gravel. This is problematic because we have a gravel road.
Every year, at least one killdeer makes her nest in the road. Because the eggs are so well camouflaged, the only way I know it’s there is because the mother will be sitting on her eggs.
Whenever the killdeer sees predator coming, she immediately goes into a broken wing act and lures it away from her nest. Once the bird is satisfied the predator is no longer a threat, her wing miraculously heals and she flies away. It is a sight to see. It is an act worthy of an academy award.
Because we don’t want to disturb the nest, Shannon and I always make a wide curve around it.
Sunday afternoon, I was the driving the tractor up the gravel road towards our house. I had forgotten about the nest.
As I drove ahead, without a care or thought in my head, I suddenly saw a killdeer with outstretched wings on the road in front of me. She wasn’t trying to lure me away. She looked incredibly aggressive for such a little bird. I realized she was determined to defend her eggs, even if it meant making a stand against the large tractor that towered over her. She was ready, willing, and able to risk it all in order to save what she loved.
Luckily, she had gotten my attention before it was too late. I put the tractor in reverse, made a wide detour around this little fearsome mother’s nest, and was on my way. This got me thinking.
God’s love is very much like the love this small killdeer demonstrated but on an even greater level.
God was not only ready, willing, and able to risk it all; God did.
In trying to help Nicodemus understand why God had sent his Son into the world, Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17)
God risked it all for you. All he asks is that you believe.
Prayer: Dear Gracious Heavenly God, strengthen my faith. Remind me of your undying love. Help me be the person you created me to be. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Believe in the One who created, redeemed, and sustains you. That’s all he asks.
I pray your day is filled with joy and laughter.
Tom Robbins
Daily Devotionals by Dr. Tom Robbins 