My mother loved birds.
She was a country girl all her life and could identify the birds of north Arkansas by their sights and sounds: mockingbirds, blue jays, redbirds, mourning doves, chickadees, whippoorwills, and others.
Shortly after Mom died in November 2016, I received in the mail a little package from my cousin, Sandy.
Sandy is an artist.
Inside the package she had mailed to me was this little hand-painted, stone redbird.
Sandy had included a note in which she wrote, “I was walking along the road the other day, saw this rock, and thought, I see a redbird in that rock. I’m going to paint it and send it to Debbie.”
How thoughtful of her! And how creative!
I love my little rock redbird and keep it on my desk by my computer. It reminds me of both my bird-loving mother and my kind, artistic cousin.
I cannot imagine seeing anything in a rock. I do not have the artist’s eye.
But in addition to reminding me of my mother and my cousin, this little keepsake reminds me of a Biblical truth.
When God created me, He made me in His image. And His image is total goodness.
That image of God in me gets hidden sometimes. Influences from sin, the world, and my own mortal nature mar it.
But that image is there. God is ever working to bring it forth and make it evident for others to see.
What an honor it is to know I am made, in some mysterious way, in the very image of the Creator and Sustainer of this universe!
If I allow God’s Spirit within me to do His work, God’s image will shine forth from me.
That requires both my willingness and cooperation. I must desire that image to be apparent in my life.
If I want it passionately enough, God will make it happen.
May you be blessed this week as you allow God’s image to be seen in you.
The Happy Geranium 
How beautiful! (Both the rock and the blog!) God Bless!
Thank you for following and commenting! I hope you and your family are well and happy.
Beautiful. I pray God’s image will shine forth from me in every moment.
Thank you, Melissa. I pray the same for you and for me!
How gifted you are to see a lesson, a truth, in a rock! I love such lessons and I love redbirds, but I am not blessed with seeing either in a rock.
You are gifted in many ways, my friend! Thanks so much for reading and commenting.
Great symbolism and message! Julie O
Thank you, Julie. I have seen God’s image in you, especially during those times when you helped me through crises. Thank you for allowing Him to shine through you.
I love that little rock–so symbolic. I like to paint rocks too, a fun hobby on the side for me. To think about shining for God, in His image, is both sobering and wonderful.
You said that so well, Becky: sobering and wonderful. You, like my cousin, are an artist in your own right. Thank you so much for your comment.
I love this memory! I love remembering how your mom loved birds. I tell my kids and grandkids about birds all of the time. I also love Sandy’s ability to see the things that the rest of us miss. I love how you bring these memories back to a biblical point. Thank You for sharing!
Thank you, Diane. God blesses each of us with the ability to appreciate beauty and to create beauty in some way. You certainly do it with your quilts. You are also blessing your children and grandchildren with your conversations about nature. Plus, you bless me simply by being part of my life.
Such a thoughtful gift and a wonderful post. Thank you, Debbie.
Thank you, Maggie. You are one of my blogger “sheroes.”
You are too kind, Debbie. Thank you. I consider this high praise.
You’re very welcome!
Love the encouragement from this!
Thank you, Carol, for reading and commenting. I hope you and your family are well and happy.
Thank you, Deb.
On Wed, May 26, 2021, 11:29 AM The Happy Geranium wrote:
> dscales24 posted: ” My mother loved birds. She was a country girl all her > life and could identify the birds of north Arkansas by their sights and > sounds: mockingbirds, blue jays, redbirds, mourning doves, chickadees, > whippoorwills, and others. Shortly after Mom died i” >
Thank YOU, Barbara, for all your wonderful encouragement.
That’s a lovely analogy Debbie. And I was releived that when I scrolled down the page, it was not a pigeon! Ha ha! xxx
I hope your pigeons have found a new place to roost and are leaving you alone! My husband just had a tree in our yard cut down because birds perched in it and “decorated” his truck that he always parks underneath it. When he took the truck to a carwash, the attendant said, “That is the worst case of bird poop I’ve ever seen!” Down came that tree!!! 🙂
Oh dear, they do seem to find it quite a sport to desecrate anything beneath them. ☺️. I have a tablecloth flapping on the clothes line and I’m wondering if I should get some tarpaulin and keeping it pegged to the line. It’s usually quite windy, so I’m excited that this could do the trick! 😄