Thoughts of a Feather Flock Together

She’d been dreaming again, her fitful sleep interrupted by geese calling overhead. Her mind had been restless in the past months, and sleep was elusive. Lying in the dark, her heart aching, she recalled her childhood when her grandmother often told her stories and read scripture before bed.

“Don’t worry about anything, instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” she’d read, “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7)

When these scriptures were read aloud, they laid upon her like a warm comforter of safety and love, and her eyes quickly grew heavy.  Her grandma would squeeze her hand, kiss her head, and remind her,

“Guard your heart, honey, because everything you do flows from it. It’ll shape the direction of your life.” (Psalm 4:23 NIV) She added with a wink.

But her grandmother had long ago passed away, and though she could read her own bible now, it was sometimes easier to run with a negative thought, play with it until the wee hours of the morning, than to turn on a light, rummage for her Bible and look up a passage.    

She remembered her grandmother telling a story about a faraway place where birds carried thoughts and trees could think and talk.  Grandma’s voice would start soft and dramatic,

“Once upon a time, a swarm of jet-black birds circled the stratosphere.  They were known as the Bleak Beaks, and the trees of this mystical land proclaimed them a nuisance. These birds were heavy with pessimism, ready to roost and spread their dissonance.  They were peace stealers, joy killers, energy zappers, and dream dashers. They needed a place to inhabit and call home where they’d be fed, caressed, and entertained. They circled the sky, searching for a tree, not just any tree.  They wanted a lifeless-looking tree with many bare branches.  It didn’t take long before they caught sight of the perfect one.  They screeched and called out to their mob and began their descent.

Below, a certain tree had been through quite a dry spell and was apathetic about life.  How was she to thrive when everything seemed so hard?  She sighed and lifted her eyes to the sky when she saw the black cloud overhead settling upon her.  There was a flapping of wings and scratching of talons as the Bleak Beaks took hold of her branches, chattering in excitement, declaring her perfect for their rookery.  The flock perched themselves, built their nests, and raised their young.  It was a wonderful place to spawn their negativity because she was vulnerable and overwhelmed. She began to pay attention to their words, entertain their thoughts, and agree with what they said. Eventually, the constant din of their negativity began to drip down her branches and seep into her soul. 

“What if my life really is meaningless? After all, my leaves have fallen, and my branches are bare; what good am I?” She wondered.

This attention given to the little thought fledglings only made them grow bigger, straining her branches under their gluttonous weight, and she was miserable.

“When did they get so big?” She moaned. “They have taken over my whole life. They can’t even fly away anymore! Here they sit, leaving their droppings day after day, and they never leave.”

She tried shooing them away, yelling, and waving her limbs. She then began singing songs, watching her favorite shows, and reading books out loud to tune them out. This caused some to fly away for a while, but they always returned because they found her an easy place to land.

One day, when she’d become quite weak and brittle, an old woman passed by and stopped, looked her over, and exclaimed,

“Dear sapling,” have you forgotten where you are? Stretch out your gnarled and curled roots and extend them into the waters beside you.” 

Hearing the woman’s commanding voice, she suddenly remembered she had been planted by a beautiful stream and had neglected to go to the water for refreshment and truth. She waited no longer and extended her longest root into the pure liquid.  Living water coursed through her root system through her veins, and the life-sucking Bleak Beaks began to shudder and bristle.  They didn’t like what she was doing, and some negative nesters flapped away.

But one day, they returned and found their open spaces covered with fresh green leaves.  And it wasn’t just the new growth encroaching on their space but a peculiar new sound that made them very uneasy. Notes ringing out like crystal droplets echoed through the branches. A new species had arrived, known as the Truth Trillers.  These birds sang life-giving, energy-building, hopeful thoughts. They also lifted their wings in gratitude, and in doing so, they squeezed out the old, gloom-ridden Bleak Beaks. On multiple occasions, a particularly old and negative Bleak Beak would return to its roost. Still, it struggled to stay for long because it wasn’t fed or entertained, so it became weak, lost its footing, and finally flapped away.

The tree flourished as her roots took hold and drank from the living waters. Her branches grew tendrils that could hold each bird close as it landed. Here, she could quickly determine if this thought bird lined up with the wisdom of the living waters. If not, her twigs would quickly flick it into space. However, if it did speak truth and life, it was held close and given much attention.  Through this daily practice, the tree persevered and produced a bounty of life-producing fruit in and out of season for all her days.

*

We can’t always control what thoughts land on us, and it’s easy to allow negative thoughts to perch in our minds, but God, in his love, reminds us that He has equipped us with His word to take charge over the thoughts that usher in fear and anxiety. We don’t have to allow negativity to reside in our minds.   What kind of thoughts have begun to roost in your life? Are you fed daily by the truth in God’s word?

Dear Father,

You are the God of peace, joy, and love. Thank you for caring about our minds and emotions. You did not create us to be anxious people but to live fueled by the power and love of your Holy Spirit. We know the world will whisper in our ears as long as we are on earth; thank you for not leaving us to ourselves but equipping us with everything we need to live abundant lives no matter the season we face.

In Jesus name, Amen.

2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV) “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Psalm 1:3 (NIV), “That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers.”

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 (NLT), “but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.”

Philippians 4:8 (NIV): “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things