Pineridge Blog

Someone sent me this great meditation that I want to share with you:

“The lumberjacks who felled the 72-foot Norway spruce destined to become this year’s iconic Rockefeller
Center Christmas tree somehow overlooked the presence of a northern saw-whet owl, one of the world’s tiniest avian predators.
“The tree had been carefully wrapped and transported by truck almost 200 miles from upstate New York to Manhattan. Rockefeller (or “Rocky”) as the little bird was quickly named, had hunkered down inside a cavity near the base of the spruce. By the time one of the tree wranglers found her, she had gone multiple days without food or water.

“That’s when Rocky got her biggest break. Her rescuer just happened to be married to wildlife rehabilitator Ellen Kalish, who runs the Ravens-beard Wildlife Center near Saugerties, New York.

“The little owl was, all things considered, in remarkably good condition. After taking some long drinks of water and polishing off some frozen mice, Rocky was re-introduced into the wild – a symbol of hope during a truly challenging year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joonh-rAMrk

“What seems clear is that her personal Plan A – stay safe, secure, and well-fed within the branches of a towering Norway spruce – was suddenly and dramatically interrupted. “Craig Barnes, president of Prince-ton Theological Seminary, points out that God is in the interruption business. Barnes suggests that all of our lives would be significantly improved if we cultivated a better Theology of Plan B.

“On our way to some preferred destination – our very own Plan A – something disruptive happens. Now we have a choice: will we keep yearning for some version of Plan A that can never happen again, or will we allow the interruptions in our lives to open our eyes to what God is offering to us right now via Plan B?

“Losing the life we have always counted on feels like death. But the death of Plan A is almost always the grounds for God’s next gift of grace.
Someone asked, “If we cut down our own family Christmas tree, is it possible we’ll find a stowaway owl?”

“Probably not, but it’s just possible that our Christmas trees this year can help us remember a vital truth: Our Savior’s birth has always been worth celebrating because he alone provides the security we most need.”