Rowdy the Raven never knew what hit him. The last thing he remembered was grabbing one last bite of rabbit flesh near the yellow center line on the highway. This time his aerobatic maneuver was a split-second short of a clean escape and the pickup’s fender slammed him into the ditch. When he awoke, he found himself confined in a cage and cared for by a veterinarian at the Alaska WildBird Rehabilitation Center.

           

            After months of mending at the bird center, a rehab volunteer took Rowdy home to live with him in the Chugach foothills. Never again would the handsome black raven perch high in cottonwoods—but he could still see his favorite mountain peaks in the distance.

            Rowdy couldn’t tease sled dogs at suppertime anymore, or soar off with a sandwich stolen from picnickers; now he was flightless. But in captivity, a raven often lives 20 years or more, and Rowdy had a good start on a long, fulfilling life. His handler showed him to schoolchildren at assemblies, and Rowdy preened in his new vocation. 

            “But shouldn’t a raven fly wild and FREE?”

            So reasoned a well-meaning crusader one day. He stole through the latched gates while Rowdy’s handler was away. The animal lover’s reckless act in emancipating a “pitiful” caged bird doomed Rowdy to a very short life. His sleek, newly-grown feathers hid a mutilated wing, and Rowdy was defenseless in Alaska’s predatory habitat. No one ever saw Rowdy again.    

            When we witness events that provoke an emotional reaction, and when situations scream for immediate resolution—Stop. Think. Listen… to the Spirit of God.

            In Ephesians 5:15 the Apostle Paul encourages us: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise…”

            Reality is often hidden in plumage. God offers believers an accurate picture if we are willing to control our emotions and wait for him to show us the truth.    

He who is slow to wrath has great understanding,

​​But he who is impulsive exalts folly. (Proverbs 14:29)

Prayer Focus:

Slow me down to be led of your Spirit, Lord Jesus—so that I don’t mistake emotion for Godly direction.