During a season of living back home, a robin made her nest 6 feet from my mother’s front door. She nestled it securely between the bricks and water drain; Something that brought inconvenience to both parties, but mostly her, as anytime the door opened she would fly from the nest in fear. But despite this issue, Mama Robin managed to successfully lay and hatch her eggs. It wasn’t long before we were able to hear faint cheeps, and a little longer when we could see necks and heads, then just a little longer when the bodies of the 3 baby birds began to noticeably overcrowd the nest.

I can’t say exactly when they became fledglings and made the first flight, or awkward fall, from the nest, but it happened, as one day the nest was completely empty; Nothing left but the bits of plastic bag, sticks and strings that they had called home. We looked for the fledglings in the yard often. Once, I thought I saw one, mama bird close behind, but when I looked again they were gone. While observing each step of this cycle of nature I could hear the lesson of The Teacher, Holy Spirit: “We all have to the leave the nest eventually.”

The most significant lesson came a week or so after the fledglings left the nest. Arriving home and walking onto the porch, I noticed, just near the nest, the body of one of the fledglings. It had previously not been there. Again, The Teacher seemed to speak. I knew this was not a lesson or precaution on attempting to LEAVE the nest, but one of the attempt to RETURN. I ‘heard’ the warning of this sad picture: “Don’t return to comfort.” This was something I needed to see. Desiring the familiarity of old seasons and the comfort of the known, I had run home in fear of change and development. I was bruised from failure and thoughts of future failure. Home was MY solution to the “problem” of growing.

The truth about promotion and the “new” we so often desire is that new seasons require a shift FROM the old, INTO the new. That shift will often challenge us in uncomfortable ways, but it’s all meant for our good. God desires to bring us to and walk with us through this shift. Eventually the nest phase is over. Permanently. It has to end for the new to come.

We aren’t being beckoned back, but led FORWARD, from glory to glory, by faith.