Blue Bird: Holding on in every circumstance

You are all around me, behind me and in front of me. You hold me safe in your hand.

—Psalm 139:5

It was time to change out my tabletop décor. I opened the china cabinet and carefully cupped the ceramic bird in the palm of my hand. I dared not drop it, for the pastel “baby blue” bird was special to me. It reminded me of a baby boy—and the story surrounding his birth.

On March 2, 2018, I worked with my daughter Emma in setting up the church hall for a baby shower for her sister Rebekah. In keeping with the woodland theme, we placed wood slabs in the center of each table, then set a vase of white flowers, a mossy green bunny, and a ceramic blue bird on each. At the close of the celebration the following day, we drew names to determine who would take home the decorator items. I reserved one blue bird for myself.

Little did I know a week later my grandson Sebastian would make his way into the world. At 33 weeks pregnant, Rebekah hemorrhaged due to previously undetected placenta previa and was rushed into emergency C-section surgery with only minutes to spare before the unthinkable.

At a mere 4 lbs., 9 oz., Sebastian was sent to the NICU, where he would stay for some time to learn to breathe on his own. Three days later, Rebekah left the hospital without ever having held her baby. She and her husband Jairo visited their newborn daily. Five days after his birth, they held him for the first time, but only for a few minutes. Most of their visits were spent gazing at him through the clear plastic incubator and their own teary eyes. After his oxygen tubes were removed, Sebastian learned to eat on his own, and 32 days after his birth he finally went home.

I can’t think about this difficult time without giving thanks to God for sparing the lives of both mother and child. I see baby boy Sebastian safely cupped in the capable hand of our great God. Rebekah too. While she grieved at home with empty arms, God held her in His.

Several times in the Bible, we read how God cares about the birds. We are reminded that we are more valuable than them, so how much more does He care for us (Matthew 6:26, Matthew 10:29-31, Luke 12:6-7).

No matter the circumstance, He is there and He cares. We can trust in His presence and provision. All things are under His control. He’s got us covered, safely cupped in the palm of His hand (Psalm 139:5).

Thank You, Father, for Your loving care. Help me to trust You in every circumstance, to lean on Your presence when my heart is broken. Even when I don’t understand, may I hold onto You, for surely You are holding me. Amen.

The "Blue Bird" today