A Look at the Savior

“And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.” ~ Luke 19:3~

My daughter was a little late in taking down her outside Christmas décor. By late, I mean the last weekend of March was knocking on the door of April Fool’s. She’d been waiting for delivery of her mail-order Spring wreath, and once it arrived, she promptly removed the artificial mistletoe and holly swag adorning her door since late November. Once inside, she readied to box it up with her other decorations but gasped at what she saw. There, at the top-center of the wreath, out of sight by any person of average height, was a small bird’s nest, complete with three tiny, speckled eggs. And no, this was not an Easter decoration mistakenly mixed in with the wrong holiday. This was a recently crafted nest with freshly laid eggs, created by a little mama bird readying herself for the arrival of her babies. Startled, my daughter quickly called me about what to do.  “Hang the wreath back on the door. When mama bird comes back she’ll need to know her nest is undisturbed.”

Now, living in the Pacific Northwest as we do, the weather is still quite cold and damp in late March. Many birds don’t even build nests and lay eggs until May because it simply isn’t warm enough. My 25 year old was lamenting having to keep Christmas décor up while waiting for birds to hatch and declaring things like “This is too much; I’m not ready to be a mother bird!”  And invariably, once hatched, there would be the wait for the birds to mature and leave the nest. Yet, putting the wreath back, nest intact, was the only right thing to do. “You’ll just have to have a Christmas Wreath at Easter.”

Time passed and pictures were taken regularly of the nest’s status. Suddenly, after a few weeks, there were hatchlings. The tiny nest was crowded and it was difficult to tell, but it looked like all the eggs had hatched and their little mouths were upturned and open. With each day’s passing, changes could be seen. First, a soft layer of down looked more like “Silly String Bed-Head” than feathers. A day or two later, clearly defined charcoal tinted feathers with silver highlights had completely filled the nest. But there was a concern.

My daughter hadn’t seen any sign of Mama Bird in days. Earlier, she had dutifully protected her nest with much chirping and carrying-on whenever anyone approached. But despite changes seen in the growing hatchlings, there were now no mama bird sightings at all. Without food and warmth, the little ones would die. Everyday Katie waited for a glimpse of mom, and with each passing day there was no sight of her. Then, last evening my daughter texted that the babies didn’t lift their heads or open their mouths when checked on. She could see only faint movement of a feather, but attributed this to the wind. I told her that the mama might have come into harm’s way, and all we could do was wait. Additionally, Katie reached out to a wildlife rescue center for advice. They told her the mom’s will often quickly drop off food to their young, and then fly some distance away so as not to attract predators. She advised Katie to wait and watch, and this provided a measure of hope to us both.

Even so, my heart was heavy. I kept reminding myself of scripture that promises God’s eye is on the sparrow, how He keeps watch over the tiniest of creatures and is their provider. I cried a little. And I prayed. I asked that these little ones would survive, that He would hold them safely in His hands and tuck them under the shelter of His mighty wing.

But in that prayer for baby birds, Jesus impressed on my mind and heart that turning to Him is central to everything I do. “Look at Me…seek My face.” This world has felt more than shaky lately, and with that, I have felt unsettled, uncertain, and at times, outright frightened. Yet no matter the size or magnitude of a circumstance, Jesus wants my eyes on Him. And He wants this for you, too.

“Oh soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There’s light for a look at the Savior, and life more abundant and free…

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus; look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim…In the light of His glory and grace.”

Our reference verse, Luke 19:3, pertains to Zacchaeus, a tax collector in Jesus’ day. He was a short man who found it difficult to see over the crowds, but he wanted to see Jesus passing through his community. The Bible tells us Zacchaeus “wanted to see who Jesus was” so he did the only thing he knew to do; he climbed up high in a nearby tree for a glimpse of the Savior. And what does scripture say happened next? It says Jesus saw him, too. Luke 19:5 says “When Jesus came to the place; He looked up and saw him, and said to him, ‘Zaccheaus hurry down, for I am coming to your house today.’”

How exciting…and comforting! Jesus saw him. He spoke to him. He came to his house, visited and showed Himself to Zaccheaus. And He is the same Jesus…Lord and Savior…for us today.

He sees you; He sees me. He sees our concern for baby birds (who, by the way, are growing bigger and fluffier each day)…and He sees so much more. He is concerned with everything that concerns us, from the biggest battle to the tiniest creature. He sees it all.

And as His eyes are fixed on us, He invites us to fix our eyes on Him…

“His word shall not fail you, He promised; Believe Him and all will be well: Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell!

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus; Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim…In the light of His glory and grace.”    (Words and melody by Helen Lemmel, 1922)