Lessons from Nature: Face Your Fears

Most of the passerines I found on Manitoulin Island last week were busy raising their young. Some birds were still feeding hatchlings in the nest, others were feeding fledglings on branches, while other birds, like Sandhill Cranes and Common Mergansers, had young birds at their side who were able to feed themselves. There were large numbers of American Crows and at least three pair of Common Ravens in the area around the camp. During a "sit-spot", I watched a small bird chasing a raven high overhead. The raven was making a big, croaking racket, but the little bird pursued the predator relentlessly. 

At the entrance to the camp, a pair of Eastern Kingbirds attended a nest high in a nearby tree. On our last day there, the young birds fledged from the nest. I watched one of them as it sat immobile on a lower branch. It opened its wings a few times but was unable to lift upwards. One parent kept a very close watch, and even blessed me with a squirt of excrement that landed on my pants and shoes. The fledglings were very vulnerable, but the parents were fearlessly and aggressively protective. The size of the perceived threat, whether it was a raven, vulture or human as myself, did not intimidate the adult bird. 

In the poetry of Job 12:7-13, Job replies to Zophar,

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you,

    or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;

or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,

    or let the fish in the sea inform you.

Which of all these does not know

    that the hand of the Lord has done this?

In his hand is the life of every creature

    and the breath of all mankind.

Does not the ear test words

    as the tongue tastes food? 

Is not wisdom found among the aged?

    Does not long life bring understanding?

“To God belong wisdom and power;

    counsel and understanding are his.”

In the end, the raven left the area, conceding defeat to a bird that was a fraction of its size. The little bird did not sit passively waiting for a deliverer, but tackled the aggressor confidently. And I was left thinking about the importance of facing future uncertainties and fears head on, with action and with courage. 

Fear can be protective or it can be paralyzing. It is important to recognize when fear is preventing us from moving ahead and achieving our goals.