Bluebirds are a real favorite with many people. They are a beautiful blue, have a musical song, and like to live near people. There are only three varieties of true bluebirds, all of which live in North America or Mexico. The eastern lives between the Rocky Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, the western lives in the area from the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains, and the mountain lives from northern Mexico to Alaska in the western third of the continent.
In early winter, most bluebirds migrate south where food is plentiful, such as insects, seeds, berries and other fruits. Those that bravely stay in the cold areas through winter live in large flocks. At night several crowd into a nest, snuggling together to keep warm.
In early spring as the migrators return, they all select mates and build grassy, cup-shaped nests, unless they find a nesting box provided by someone who loves bluebirds. Eggs are laid and soon hatch out. Raising the chicks is a real chore, since they have tremendous appetites, keeping both parents busy. One birdwatcher reported that during daylight hours food was brought to a nest by the parents about every three minutes! What caring and conscientious parents they are! This is another example of the way the Creator has provided faithful instincts so the babies will be well taken care of.
The chicks grow quickly and fly from the nest within two or three weeks. They perch in nearby trees where the father continues to feed them and teaches them to care for themselves. Meanwhile, the mother has cleaned up the nest and laid more eggs. When the new family hatches, the parents get busy feeding them, just as they did the older ones. But here is where the lesson mentioned in our title may be learned. When the young birds that are already raised see how busy the parents are and how hungry their new brothers and sisters are, they often help in bringing food to the new hatchlings. Isn’t that a helpful thing to do? Only a very few other young birds are known to do this.
Here is a good example of how boys and girls can be helpful to their parents. This doesn’t necessarily mean feeding babies, since there are other ways to show love. This can be done by voluntarily setting or clearing the table, making beds, weeding the garden, taking out the trash and other things that show your parents your love in a helpful way.
When helpful tasks like these are done in a happy spirit, they are always pleasing to the Lord Jesus. The Bible tells us, “Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right” (Proverbs 20:1111Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right. (Proverbs 20:11)).
ML-06/26/2011