Two Stories about Doves and Lessons to Learn
I have two stories for you today about birds called doves.
One day, a dove was flying about, trying to find food for her young ones in the nest. A boy who was passing by threw a stone and hit it on the wing. This bad action damaged the poor bird, which fell to the ground. The dove lay there, fluttering and trying to get back to its nest; but it was no use.
Soon, some other doves gathered around, cooing and chattering among themselves. They seemed to be trying to help. A few tried to lift the helpless bird by taking hold of its wings with their beaks. But it was no use; they couldn’t lift the hurt dove.
Then an amazing thing happened: two of the birds that had flown away came back, bringing with them a thick twig. They laid it down and got the crippled dove to take hold of it with her beak and claws. Then the two larger birds each took a hold of the stick and, flying upwards, carried the wounded one up to its nest.
The other story is about two doves, who built their nests in a large dove-cote. Their young ones were soon hatched out. But then a great snowstorm arose, and was very severe. The poor little birds would have been frozen to death, but for the faithful father bird. This is what he did. He stood in the doorway of his little home with his back towards the wind: He spread out his tail and covered up the door, and kept fluttering his wings to shelter his poor little ones from the storm.
He stood there for hours and hours, with his tail and back covered with snow, but faithfully bearing it all, to keep his young ones safe and warm.
These two stories give us quite a lot to think about, don’t they? The first story shows us the lovingkindness of the birds who helped the crippled one back to the nest; and the other story shows us the great faithfulness of the father bird in protecting his young ones.
Imagine God’s creatures doing good like that, and we, who have been given such minds and understanding, so often do so little good. Remember the boy who threw the stone!
Let us remember that God has shown us, in so many ways, how to live – most important by sending Jesus into the world, first of all, to be our Saviour, but also, to be our example. “Jesus went about doing good.”
Let us all, boys and girls, learn to follow Jesus, and so please God.
And we must love Him, too;
And trust in His redeeming blood,
And try His works to do.”