I’ve been adding up the benefits from times of lockdown over this last year. And I conclude that whilst this year has been more challenging and demanding in unwelcome ways, the list of good things is quite impressive and humbling.
Let me share just one with you; bird song.
I’ve always noticed the sound of birds and enjoyed relating that to seasonal changes, however this year with extra walks and time spent outside I’ve become much more aware of bird song. And with the aid of a BBC nature app I’ve tried to get better at identifying birds by their song. Not very successfully.
In these mixed times I appreciate the simplicity of the signs in nature that remind me of the constant and enduring beauty of God all around us. It reminds me of the words penned by the psalmist who wrote (as a song) with so much eloquence –
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD of hosts!
My soul longs, indeed it faints
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself…
Psalm 84
From the compassion and kindness of those around us to the songs that resound in nature, may our home on earth be filled with the signs of God’s dwelling place.