Mourning More than the Mourning Doves

By Vickie G. Paver

We have a wonderful giant blue spruce in our yard and many types of birds inhabit it, including mourning doves. If you stand directly under the giant blue spruce, you can see that it houses at least 7 different birds' nests. One of the problems with the spruce tree was that it had several large branches that hung over a double fence (a chain link and a wooden privacy fence.) It was the privacy fence to which we wanted to add one more eight foot section, but the branches of the tree were in the way. We decided to cut off a few branches so we could dig the hole for our pole. Soon we had the hole dug, the pole cemented and everything was ready for the new section of fence. However, we could not put the section of fence up until the cement dried.

In the meantime, to make things look better, I decided to cut off some more of the lower branches. I was in a working frenzy, sawing away, until I had four limbs cut off. I then looked at the tree and decided two more needed to come off before the job was done. These massive branches did not hang over the fence, but branched towards the road and were low to the ground. I started sawing again - sawing and sawing and sawing. It seemed to take forever. Finally, it fell! But all of a sudden, a sick feeling swept over me as my eyes caught site of a mourning dove scurrying across the lawn as if injured. As I neared the tall grass where the dove stopped, it suddenly flew off in the direction of some other trees. I breathed a sigh of relief that it was not injured. As I walked back to the blue spruce, I made another discovery. A nest holding two broken eggs lay in the branch that was on the ground. Upon further examination, I noticed that two undeveloped baby doves, with only a little of their bodies outside the eggs, were wiggling back. I knew they would never make it in this world and within a few seconds they were still. They would never fly or make nests of their own. Heartbreak and a kind of horror flooded over me as I grasped the fact that I had accidentally killed two baby doves. In my zeal to make things look better, I plunged ahead, never dreaming the birds were in the lower branch and in the path of danger. I didn't even bother to look amongst the branches, even though I knew that all kinds of birds nest in that giant spruce. All I could see was getting the job done.

Still hurting inside over the accident, God brought home a lesson I'll never forget. Many times in my zeal to "get the job done," I have possibly hurt someone along the way. Maybe someone in my path needed a listening ear, a word of encouragement, or a helping hand. But I was too busy, too intent on getting the job done. I had been so focused on the job that I just didn't see them.  They were invisible to me. It wasn't an intentional thing. My zeal, my job, took priority, above anyone in my path. Then, like the feelings of heartbreak and horror that flooded over me when I encountered the mourning doves these feelings once again flooded my heart. I have been praying ever since, "God help me not to run over, ignore, or hurt those in my path in a frenzy to get the job done."

Don't take this story the wrong way. I'm not saying that we don't need to focus on our various jobs that need to be done. What I am saying is that people are more important than work.  I pray we all realize that the "job" will still be here long after we are gone. Let's find balance in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ecclesiastes 1: 3-4: "What profit has a man from all of his labor in which he toils under the sun? One generation passes away, and another generation comes.