We woke up to the robin singing again on Thursday morning.
In fact, lately we have woken to his morning call almost every morning, and we have a clear view of this wonderful song bird, perched on the very highest branch of a tree we can see from our bedroom window.
And he greets the morning with his song.
On Wednesday there was no song.
We wondered… and I thought later… was he sick? Some family crisis? What had happened to our robin?
Years ago, in the depths of grief, God taught me a lesson about persistence in praise. Sometimes when things go wrong, when we are filled with sorrow or dread, or deep sadness, there is a choice to be made.
And sometimes we choose to offer a “sacrifice of praise”.
It is a gift we offer to the Giver of life. The One who created us and knows fully the larger picture. And so we choose to be thankful, we choose to praise, even in the midst of life’s deepest pain.
And sometimes this takes perseverance, persistence and a whole lot of courage.
And I wondered, in this week of grief for many I know… the robin, part of God’s creation, is a persistent bird. Whatever happened Wednesday… he came back Thursday… to sing.
To herald in the morning, to remind me that all things are made new, and truly after sorrow, there is joy in the morning.
