Caged but Comfortable, January 19 Daily Reflection

Caged Bird

Comfortable, yet caged, this delicate bird looks content to fly around in his caged environment with on lookers gazing upon him.  Does he define himself as caged, perceiving the glass walls as closing in upon him or as a window to the world? Does he love that he is fed regularly without concern of going hungry unable to find the worms beneath the cold hard earth? Is he even capable of such thoughts or are his instincts satisfied with this humble habitat one has created for him?

We humans personify so many things in our egocentric minds. That little bird is probably satisfied with his existence, he is not chirping to be fed, he is not flying into the glass walls trying to be freed, he appears to be relaxed and content. However, human thoughts project the sadness of our lives being caged, of how we would feel about such a surrounding. God gave us this ability to empathize with others and somehow it seems easier to let our guards down with little animals than with other humans. If we were to put ourselves in the place of the hungry, the orphaned, the widowed, the naked and the lonely among us we would be overwhelmed and mentally crippled by our lack of finding the solution. So we turn away from the needs and angst of our own people and let our sympathy be shown for animals.

There are many of us who do what we can to help those in need. We give our money, our time, our talent to help others and yet it never seems enough because the poor still exist and the hungry still are not fed. How are we to help without feeling overwhelmed and paralyzed by such great need in our world today?

Questions many of us have had to ask ourselves over and over again. The conclusion most often reached by me is: to do what you can do, to give what you can give and to be the best person you can be. God has a purpose for each of our lives and if we follow His lead He will fit us into His intricate puzzle to help solve the problems. In our lifetime we will not see an end to the violence in the streets, the poor be lifted out of their sorrow, the bellies of hungry be filled, the lonely be surrounded, the orphaned find a home or the widow finding new love. But if we listen to where God calls us and we truly let Him lead us we will fill a few bellies for a lifetime with our money, we will protest the violence to find more safety for our children, we will look the stranger holding the signs in the eye and hand them back their dignity for that brief moment in time, we will visit the lonely and pray for the orphaned. We will do our tiny part, share our small portions and hit our knees in prayer so that others may find comfort.

We are in our own lives comfortable yet caged by the knowledge that we cannot change the world completely. We must find another view, try a new path and give all that we can give to help those in need. The ultimate would be for all to be fed regularly, comforted and cared for by others who love them. “We” are those who love them.

One Response

  1. Bonnie Chester

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