Recently I saw a Youtube Video of a man rescuing an owl that had gotten himself tangled up in a fishing line. In the beginning, the owl wanted nothing to do with the rescue. He was wide-eyed, screeching quite loudly, and trying his best to fly away from the unfortunate predicament he was in. But alas, he could not fly away because he was far too entangled in a mess he could not, himself, fix.
Fortunate for the owl, the very patient man endured the sharp clawing and wrestling until he was able to get a good enough grip on the bird to begin the process of setting him free. Moment by moment, you could see the owl settle down, as he finally realized the man was there to help him, not harm him.
Suddenly, I find myself reflecting on Psalm 46:10:
“CEASE STRIVING, and know that I Am GOD.”
This is such a tender reminder of the patience of our GOD in the middle of our striving. In the middle of our screeching, our sharpness, our fight. Often, we are caught in a net of our own making. But too true also, are the nets we get caught in due to the poor choices of others. Because a careless fisherman chose not to clean up after himself, a poor innocent owl nearly lost his life.
Thankfully, another fisherman came along who was kind, patient, and willing to allow himself to get hurt in the process so he could set the owl free!
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Oh Lord God, like that poor owl, I too, at times, have found myself entangled in some messes I could not get out of on my own. Sadly, in the beginning, because of fear, I remained trapped much longer than was necessary. Thank You, Lord, for opening my eyes to the kindness of my Savior. Because of that kindness, I chose to surrender to the process that ultimately brings freedom to my soul.
