Stay on the Nest

“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” 

--Winston Churchill

Darkness came more quickly tonight. A steady spring rain falling, the outside dusk closing in early.

A Robin built her nest, on eye level, in the big crabapple tree; I could see her little head and her steady black eyes watching us as my daughter and I peered at her through the rain-watered glass. 

The rain coming down, washing over her, she sat on her nest. 

She stayed on her nest, through the damp drizzle, and the unseasonably chilly weather.

She stayed on her nest, keeping her soft-blue eggs warm, her body heat protecting them against the chill air and keeping them from succumbing to the cold weather. 

That sweet mother Robin stayed on her nest. 

The Lord has been speaking to me; the lesson of the Mother Robin touched my heart again in the direction that He's been leading and teaching me. 

Stay on your nest.

Sometimes, many times, mothering isn't easy. 

Many times there is no gratification, no instant reward. Sometimes our kids are just plain ornery and we wonder, "What happened?" 

Sometimes the Holy Spirit may be convicting us about something that He wants us to do differently in our parenting, exchanging the "good," for His "best." 

Don' be discouraged; trust in His wisdom and stay on your nest. 

Keep persevering; keep seeking the Spirit of God in your parenting. Keep trusting, praying, chiseling, hammering, working, pleading with God for their souls; stay on your nest.

Through the good times, through the bad, through the cold and the rain, stay on your nest. 

There are so many temptations, distractions, so many opportunities to "take the easy way out," to plop our children in front of a computer or a TV, to  continually (not occasionally for a respite)  "escape" into a store or a playgroup, to distract ourselves from the hard work of monotonous day-in and day-out grueling work of parenting.

There is even the temptation to "escape" emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, when mothering becomes, "hard." We tune things out -- We ignore difficult parenting situations that we need to address. We tune out our children's voices; we ignore problems rather than praying about them and dealing with them. 

But we must be faithful in the "little things" of mothering -- another lesson that the Lord keeps teaching me. 

"He who is faithful in what is least, will also be faithful in much . . . " (Luke 16:10). 

Be faithful in the things that no one sees, no one notices -- read the extra book, pick up the clutter, use every opportunity to talk to your children about the Lord, to relate everything back to Him.

Be faithful in the drudgery, in the tedious, in the unpleasant and difficult.

Be faithful, because Someone does see; and He will be your Reward. 

And He will reward you -- a tree doesn't bear fruit immediately, but the fruit will come. 

The Robin's eggs will hatch -- life will come forth -- the fruit of the robin's steadfast perseverance. 

The fruit will come. 

Be patient. Be faithful. Be diligent . Be persevering . . . the fruit will come.

We have all failed. So many times. How many times have I wept, have I ached over the times that I have failed? But the important thing, the vital thing is to run to our Heavenly Father, to repent, to seek His mercies afresh, and to get up, to get back on our nest.

Because in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 

Never give up. 

And stay on the nest.  

You might find me on these link-ups:

Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth, Inspire Me Monday, The Modest Mom, What Joy is Mine, SDG Gathering, A Mama's Story, Mom's the Word, Rich Faith Rising, Time Warp Wife, Cornerstone Confessions, Mom's Morning Coffee, Motivate and Rejuvenate Mondays, So Much at Home, Raising Homemakers, Hope in Every Season, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries, Whole-Hearted Home, Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story, A Soft Gentle Voice, My Daily Walk in His Grace, Women With Intention Wednesdays, Messy Marriage, The Charm of Home, Graced Simplicity, Theology Thursdays, Children Are A Blessing, Mittenstate Sheep and Wool, Imparting Grace, Preparedness Mama, A Look at the Book, Essential Thing Devotions, Thought Provoking Thursday, Every Day Jesus, Count My Blessings, Christian Mommy Blogger, Renewed Daily, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The Weekend Brew, Blessing Counters Link Party, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, Saturday Soiree Blog Party, Tell It To Me Tuesdays, SHINE Blog Hop, Faith and  Fellowship Blog Hop, Motivate and Rejuvenate Monday Link-Up, A Little R&R Wednesdays. TGI Saturdays Blog Hop. Totally Terrific Tuesday, RaRaLinkup