309. Celebrating God's Grace, Tiny Bird

Sometimes, we all need to be "set right" with the Lord. Enjoy this beautiful Voice of Truth article, written by Kim Meeder, Tiny Bird. **** Welcome to celebrating God's grace, a women world leaders podcast. My name is Julie Jenkins and it is my honor today to bring you a greeting from Voice of Truth magazine. God has called women world leaders who produce and distribute voice of truth four times each year. We work with artists and writers from around the world to showcase God's glory. Visit women world leaders.com where you can see our back issues and register for a digital subscription. And if you live within the United States and become a monthly donor to women, world leaders, a 501c3 ministry. To thank you we will make sure you receive a physical copy of the upcoming editions delivered right to your mailbox. Today's reading is from our very first edition of Voice of Truth, which was published in January 2021. The article Tiny Bird was written by author Kim Meder. Kim Meder is the co-founder and CCO of crystal peaks youth ranch a unique ministry that rescues mistreated horses and pairs them with hurting children, encouraging all toward the healing hope of Jesus Christ. The ranch was founded in 1995 and serves 1000s of kids a year all free of charge. Kim's first book hope arising inspired the ranch to win the national Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis award and launch her inspirational speaking ministry. Kim remains passionate to share complete freedom and wholeness in Christ by following the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Together, Kim and her husband Troy have helped to establish over 200 other similar ranch ministries throughout the United States, Canada, and a dozen in foreign countries. She and her husband have been married since 1981 and live in Bendm Oregon. Together they enjoy deep wilderness adventuring. Enjoy my reading of Tiny Bird by Kim Meder. Those who know me well are aware of my passion for the outdoors. For the times when I must be inside I've strategically stationed bird feeders to draw the beautiful activity of the wild into my view. Not long ago, I nestled into my office with a hot cup of coffee and hand and an old beloved quilt across my lap. outside my window I had just scattered bird seed across a downy blanket of new fallen snow. Unable to access their usual fare through the frozen white. The birds showed their pure gratitude by gliding down into the yard in great numbers. Soon the entire scene was filled with the delightful chatter of happy birds enjoying breakfast. Suddenly, there was a worrying storm of wings as the panic flock took flight. a zillion birds darted a zillion different directions as a large Cooper's Hawk swooped through the yard. In the frenzy to escape, a small bird smashed into my office window only inches from my face. The impact knocked the bird unconscious and it fell upside down onto the woodpile below the window cell. Looking at it intently, I studied the tiny bird. It was a Junko known in this region as a snowbird. The slightly muted coloration told me it was a female. She was still on her back when her tiny legs began to move. She appeared to be searching for something to grasp to write herself. Finding nothing but cold. I watched the perfect legs struggle less and less, then, not at all. She was dying. "Lord! How can this be right? How can this be your will? This is a meaningless death. Why?" I searched. Then in the stillness I heard, "Look at her. Look at her." I did. The beautiful slender legs were slowly sliding apart as she was leaving this life. She has been knocked out of balance she was not created to live in this position set her right. The old quilt flew off my lap as I dashed out of the office toward the back door. When I reached the bird, a single thought crossed my mind, "How?" What followed was more image than phrase, but the words I sensed were, "Gentle, gentle, gentle." Using two fingers from my left hand and the index finger on my right eye, I carefully lifted the bird only high enough to rotate her back onto her feet. In doing so, I watched the tiny bird's head slide deeply to the side. Her neck appeared broken. The rescue attempt was futile. My "But God, this is hopeless" was crushed before I even finished the thought. "Do it. Don't trust what you think, you know, trust no one you know, trust me." In obedience, I gently propped the tiny bird against a piece of firewood and quietly made my way back into the office. Once the frayed quilt was replaced on my lap, I rotated my chair back toward the window and moved up as close as I could get cheeses I gasped at all. The little snowbirds head was now a top her shoulders right where it should be captured by this tiny miracle I watched completely transfixed. held fast within the power of this transformation. It occurred to me that horses are similar in reaction when cast on their back. They'll try to write themselves for a while but once they believe that they cannot rise, they stop trying. Left in this upside-down position. Death is Imminent. Soon the snowbird's beautiful black eyes began to blink her thought process was returning. After several long moments, she shook once and then flew away. "Wow,Lord! Speak!" Through the quiet of dawn, I could hear deep within, "Gentle, gentle, gentle this is what I am calling you to do for those around you. Help them regain their balance in my love. Some will accept being rebalanced and will immediately take flight soaring deeper into my presence. Others will not accept being rebalanced and will choose to return to an upside-down existence of self-imposed pain and bitterness. Beloved, yours is not to make such a call for them. Yours is to listen closely and simply do what I say. To secure those around you with my love. This is what I'm calling all my people to do." Recently, I traveled to northern California to visit some dear family friends. They were my childhood neighbors when I still lived with my parents. Katie, a woman of my mother's age was a new believer when she heard the tragic news of how my distraught father had murdered my mother and then taken his own life. Left behind were three orphaned girls. In her young faith, she did what mattered most she started to pray for the daughters. All Katie knew was that the girls had been taken away. She prayed for them for years decades, never knowing what happened. She just kept praying that somehow through the pain, they would meet Jesus. ...