Pearls in a Nutshell

 God's Love and Wisdom on Display

I am always so awed by how very intentionally God reveals Himself in His creation.  I came across one such example this week. 

Maybe you have heard of the amazing Hornbill  bird.  They live in South and Southeast Asia. They have inspired architecture, songs, dances and festivals. There is one species of Hornbill , the Rufous-headed Hornbill, found only in the Philippines that is now an endangered species. (there are 32 species of hornbills found throughout Asia) 

The Fascinating Details about the Hornbill 
I'm sure the Hornbill doesn't read scripture, but he is more obedient than man.  There is a verse in Deut. 24:5 that reads as follows.. ."when a man takes a new wife he shall not go out to war or be charged with any  business, he shall stay at home one year and bring happiness to his wife whom he has taken."

How many newly married couples follow the wisdom of this verse?  If the new husband really spent the first year of marriage 'making his wife happy' , I wonder how many happier marriages there would be, and how many fewer divorces!   

The male Hornbills follow this advice to the letter and it works for them - they mate for life. 
When a male is looking for his love-mate, and finds the one he wants he spends a whole year providing her food.  He does this to prove his loyalty when it will mean her life or death. His loyalty is going to be severely tested. . 

When the couple are ready to start a family they need a suitable hollow in a tree in which to build a nest. It takes a few days of 'shopping real estate' before finding one they agree is good.

They make a nest inside using leaves, and other suitable material like grass and feathers. Once the nest is made, the female Hornbill lays her eggs.

But she does not leave the nest.

Both birds begin to seal up the opening in the tree - the male working from outside and the  female from the inside. The male makes (bricks) - balls of mud mixed with regurgitated food and droppings. He passes these 'bricks' to the female and she lays them one upon another, while he works from the outside. They  gradually close the opening until only a small slit is left. The opening is only big enough for the  male to pass food through during the weeks and months that the female is imprisoned in the hollow. 

The male remains attentive and loyal to the needs of his wife who is now totally dependent on him. She loses the feathers of her head and wings and so that even if she broke out of the nest she would be unable to fly for weeks.

When the chicks hatch and are about half-grown the female breaks open the entrance and joins the male in feeding their offspring. Interestingly, once the mother leaves the nest the chicks reseal the opening leaving only a small hole through which they can receive food. They are safe from all predators.

We watch and are amazed that a bird can be so caring and totally self-less ... willing to sacrifice their own well-being for another.

Can we not see God's selfless love toward us demonstrated here? We have done nothing to deserve His love, yet He proves His loyalty over and over again. As we see His love demonstrated  through a bird, can we not be assured that His love for us will never fail, no matter how helpless we are? 

We can also, oft to our shame,  what selfless love for one another looks like in the loyal commitment the Hornbills have toward each other and the months-long care of their offspring.  Their caring is not based on what they can get but only on what they give. 

Nothing compels the Hornbills to do what they do except the desire of their own hearts, given to them by the God who created them. 

"Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God." I John 3:1 

 

 "My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth." I John 3:18 

 The apostle John's last sermons were short and from the heart ..""Love one another."