Not Trapped

Our dogs were barking and when I glanced out the kitchen window I saw wings flapping.  I picked up my camera and went outside. I snapped a photo, put down the camera and took a closer look.   A bird’s leg was trapped in between tightly fitting fence boards.  I tried to separate them by hand but they barely moved.

It seemed a dire situation and I was initially fearful for the bird’s life.  I stopped this thinking. On page 410 of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy writes “The more difficult seems the material condition to be overcome by Spirit, the stronger should be our faith and the purer our love.”

I went back in the house looking for a large tool to pry the fence apart and could only find two small-sized screwdrivers.  I brought a towel with me and supported the bird with one hand and began to part the fence posts with the other.  I petitioned God’s help for this little bird and prayed audibly too, thinking someone might hear me and help. No one came, but I knew God was there and in control. A sense of peacefulness came over my thinking and I knew this bird was free.

After working a few minutes with both tools, the boards parted enough for him to free his leg and he took off.  As he flew away his wings flapped against me with surprising strength. Up he went to a tall tree in the backyard.

Joy abounded!  Now we were both free, not trapped by boards, or false beliefs.

SG   Springdale, AR