Destructive and Constructive Nesting

What is the difference between destructive and constructive nesting?

As I shared in my last post I recently found a rat under the hood of an old car on my property. To my chagrin a rat had almost destroyed every wire under the hood. I promptly disposed of the nest and the car. What a relief to have the nest of varmints out of my life!

Isn't it amazing how we look on God's creation. Obviously I am not a big fan of rats. However, in the greater scheme of things there must be a reason for these destructive, sneaky creators. I am just not aware of their purpose, nor all that interested in them. Like snakes, spiders and mosquitoes, I just don't like them. Therefore I felt no anxiety about destroying their nest...

However, this past weekend I borrowed a 'pressure washer' from my neighbor. My deck and porch were beginning to show signs of dirt and mildew. With all that power in my hand I was hooked. In no time at all I was removing all the built up grime and I felt great. The more I washed the more places I saw that needed to be cleaned.

I moved from the back screened-porch to the deck to the dog's pen, to the driveway and finally found my self all the way around the house to the front porch. I was so proud of all the dirt I was removing. I was feeling so much strength and productivity. I was truly king of the manor.

As I moved to the front porch I noticed a bird's nest on top of one of the beams. It had been there since last summer and was recently vacated by a bird and her little fledglings. They had finally flown away. So I tackled that corner of the porch with a vengeance.

I first tore as much of the nest away as possible by hand. Then I scraped away more dirt with a small tool. Then I turned the full force of the washer onto the soiled corner. All signs began to wash away. No more nest, no more dirt and no more birds around my front door.


But this week I have found myself missing that nest. You see the birds have used that nest at least four times to lay their eggs and hatch their chicks and feed them til they were strong enough to fly away on their own. I had actually become fond of them. Each morning as I left for work I would look up to see them and check their progress. Could I see any movement? Was the momma bird sitting on her eggs or was she off looking for food for her hatchlings? When the heads of the small chicks began to show, I would watch carefully to see if they were growing and/or about to fly away.

They had become a sign of God's larger plan and purpose. This nest had become a thing of beauty for me. And yet in my haste I had destroyed it.

What is the difference between destructive and constructive nesting? Several learnings from my recent encounter with nests comes to mind:
1. What I might consider destructive must be a part of God's plan. Every creature seems to have a place to settle and find physical comfort. A place to birth children and feed them and raise them to sufficient maturity for them to leave the nest.
2. Even varmints (my definition) are part of something larger than my understanding. Things I see as destructive and a menace were created and are some gift from God. I may never know what that plan is all about (in this life) but I might need to learn to trust more.
3. God can use part of my own life that seems to be hidden and dark and a menace, to teach me His ways. I have much to learn about His grace and mercy.
4. I too can be a creator of destruction. I can channel my power and cause pain to something that was causing no harm. I can exert my strength and 'clean' out the dwelling place of God's creators, even those that bring joy and are peaceful. I need to learn to be patient and careful as I use my strength and power.

SHALOM