A STEP OF FAITH is all that is required -Frightened Bird
My Bird- Be Strong and Bold!
This poem was written for someone in particular who struggled with their faith, because material things,status and welfare as well as insecurity stood in the way of spiritual progress.
Many people struggle to keep their faith because they do not understand the concept of giving up their old life and becoming a new creation.
There are many examples whereby Our Lord spoke to different people who enquired how they may become 'Born Again'. Christ would reply that it needed full commitment, and often he would state something that needed to be given up!
Christ said "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters - yes, even his own life - he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. " Luke 14:25.
Christ did not literally mean you must hate your parents -to do so would be contrary to the Commandment that says you must honour your mother and father. What he was doing was giving you an example of how much you must be willing to follow him. It is if you like, a measure for you to understand the level of commitment required. You need to be prepared to give up your life for him, but it does not necessarily mean that you will have to do that. It is a figure of speech -an expression.
He also says to a man " Follow Me", The man said " Let me go and bury my father first"
Jesus replied, " Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Again Yeshua is not saying don't bury your father, he is measuring the willingness of this man to commit!
Yeshua later says, to another man who wanted to do something before following Christ, " No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God." This is the most important key point to these verses- anyone who looks back to their old life is as an idolater, he has chosen his old unrighteous life rather than a new life with Christ in righteousness. The man chose the world and all its sinfulness and lawlessness rather than eternal life and righteousness with God. It is this that is often the downfall of man!
Yeshua's words seem harsh and at this point the biblical new believers gave up their faith and returned to their old life, because they just could not do as Yeshua had asked! Often new believers today do the same, they give up before they started and carry a burdensome guilt with them for the rest of their days wondering what it might have been like if they had taken the decision to follow Christ all the way.
The reader needs to realise that there were deeper implications to Christ's words, relevant to those biblical men and to new believers today. Christ knew the concerns of those seeking men. He knew that family ties were a controlling factor in their lives. He also knew that they would not be fully committed to following the Lord unless they understood the full implication of the step they were about to take. The step of faith.
What we need to understand is that when Christ asks us to follow him, we do not have to worry about our families, or our homes, or our anything else.
What Yeshua meant by these verses was that God meets all our needs -he knows our desires and needs. If the man had said "I will not go to bury my father, I will follow you Lord"! Then that step of faith would have produced abundant blessings including making the arrangements for his fathers burial! In other words, these verses were about commitment, obedience and faith. A test! Which many fail for fear grips them!
Many people hesitate about making that important step to follow Christ. The devil whispers in their ear of all the things that could wrong if they make that step. Often the whisperer uses a persons achilles heel, (weaknesses) or fears or hunger for, such as family, money, security, fear etc. He uses all of these to pull you back from salvation into his trap to keep you there -forever!
My poem tells this one person and many others in the world to be strong and fight against the temptation to retract. Go forward and take that step that will release you from the whisperer's chains. Christ will set you free and provide all your needs -THE ONLY THING YOU WILL LOOSE IS YOUR CHAINS AND PRISON BARS!
BE Strong my bird and step out of your nest!
THE POEM:
The winter bird flew to his nest
where he feels safe, secure, and at home!
Afraid to wander too far,
fearing to venture from his comfort zone!
Why? Oh Why? Do you harden your heart to the cry of another?
Why? Oh Why? Do you close your mind to the words of another?
Submit your heart and emotions, open your eyes and ears
Allow yourself to be strong!
Submit your worries and fears
Admit you are wrong!
Why?Oh why? Do you harden your heart to the cry of another?
Why, Oh Why? Do you close your mind to the words of another?
The bird sits in his safe nest
His red breast puffed up with stubborn pride!
His ignorance tells him he knows best
Rather than venture out he prefers to hide!
Why?Oh why? Do you harden your heart to the cry of another?
Why, Oh Why? Do you close your mind to the words of another?
He is afraid someone might see the real him!
The mask may fall away,
inside falsehood may be revealed!
and sinfulness put on display,
Why?Oh why? Do you harden your heart to the cry of another?
Why, Oh Why? Do you close your mind to the words of another?
But my lovely bird, don't you understand?
All have sinned,
All are unclean,
All need to repent to reach the promised land!
Why? Oh Why? Don't you take the risk and fly?
Why? oh why? Don't you fly the nest and try?
Why? oh Why? don't you seek the hand of the one you love
So that two can fly?
Why don't you give up your worldly ties and fly
With your companion fly to the land of milk and honey!
Put behind you material, worldly things
And forget about money!
For our Lord awaits for common sense to prevail,
if you take those initial steps you cannot fail!
Why? Oh why? Don't you hear my cry?
Why? do you just pass it by?
We could take those steps together we could sail across the sea
so leave your nesting place my lovely bird,
spend the rest of your life with the Lord - and me!
and forever be!
