O Jerusalem, Jerusalem

She's very pretty....a little haggard, but she has a determined look on her face. I see her several times a day. In fact, I make it a point to see her. She's sitting on her nest just a few feet from my front porch. This mother robin isn't as enamored with me as I am with her. She looks at me with a feaful look in her eyes. Her head raises a little and you can tell she's ready to leap at a moment's notice. I know because I've seen her do it.
I can't quite see into her nest but I'm sure there are some eggs in there. I haven't seen any little babies yet. But there is drama happening all around. Just yesterday I saw her chasing after a squirrel who had gotten a little too close. While she was doing that a couple of cardinals flew up. I don't know if cardinals steal nests or what, but they were hainging around an awful lot.
When I look at her and observe her actions, I sense a feeling of determination. She is going to protect her nest with everything her little body and wings can do. I have a feeling that if I got a little too close, she might even come after me.
This reminds me of a passage in Luke. Jesus is strangely warned by the Pharisees that Herod is after Him. Then He says, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!"
I can see this picture. What a comfort it is to know that Jesus wants to take us, just like a mother hen, and gather us under His wing. A place of safety. A place of comfort. A place where the world stays away. That's how He feels about us. I think I understand now what Jesus meant. All because of a young robin who sits on her nest just feet from my front porch. Have a great day. JW