It was July 2^nd, 2014, a warm peaceful morning, and I was enjoying sleeping a little longer than usual when the crows came and sat in the big tree outside my window.  It wasn’t a big deal except every one of them was crying at the top of their little lungs, which is surprisingly loud.  And I flinched and rolled over.  And then I jumped out of bed. “What the heck!?”  Then I waited patiently for them to disburse.  5 minutes, 10 minutes it continued.  “Oh, what in the world is going on?”

When I went to the window, I saw nothing strange.   There was only green grass, and a soft breeze.

So why were there crows screaming like they were having a raucous party in the loudest club downtown?  It felt like my nerves were being frayed one at a time as I pulled on my clothes and headed for a cuppa my favorite coffee.

Then stepping out onto the deck with coffee in hand, I gazed up at the tree which I could only see over the top of the roof.  There they were still squawking and creating a hurricane inside my soul.

Thinking that I should investigate further, I took my coffee and walked around the house to stare up at them.  And several of them jumped down to the lower branches presumably to scream at me personally.

I considered how I speak to storms, and decided to talk to them calmly and encourage them to be peaceful.  But they ignored my voice and didn’t care about my soft instructions.

So, then I rebuked them and commanded them to stop making so much noise.  That made them jump around from branch to branch, in a scuffle as they continued their verbal abuse.  Finally, in frustration, I went back into the house and paced back and forth sighing deeply with the conundrum.

Hunny saw me and looked at me questioningly.

“Can’t you hear those birds?”  I asked incredulously.

“Oh, yeah, I guess they’re kinda loud.  So, what?” he shrugged and walked away.

“So, what? Doesn’t it bother you?”

“It’s just birds,” he answered simply.

Seeing his point, I tried earphones and soothing music, or watching my favorite video, or speaking peaceful scriptures.  And the cacophony continued for an hour and then two.

My frustration was reaching a crescendo and I considered getting in the car and going to the mall simply to escape.  But I really didn’t want to go to the mall.  I wanted to sit at my desk peacefully and write, just the way I did it every day.

I was out of ideas on how to handle this. So, in abject surrender, I went to the deck again and sat down.  “Father, what in the world is going on?” I asked.

Instantly revelation hit me.  “THIS HAS MEANING.  And it’s time to go find out what that meaning is.”

“OK, Father, lead me to understanding.”

For the next hour, the birds quieted somewhat as I searched the internet and read several sites about the spiritual meaning of crows. Native American culture says they are messengers bringing secrets and hidden desires.

So, I asked out loud, “Father, what message?  What secrets and hidden desires? I’m listening.”

But oddly He didn’t speak and it puzzled me. Why wouldn’t He talk to me? I closed my eyes and searched my heart.  What was my desire?  What could it be?

Slowly, my dream home rose to the surface. He’d planted it in my heart many years before but even with the visions of the wood floors and the smells of the atmosphere, nothing had manifested. So, sad tears had settled on the dream like a dark cloud and left it in the recesses of my memory.

“Is this about my dream home, Father?” I asked, hesitantly, with only my desk to hear me.

Almost instantly, the birds were silent!   I looked around startled. Where were the birds?  What happened to them? Why did they stop screaming?

The silence was so profound that I scrambled to go to the tree once again and I froze as I watched the crows silently fly away, one by one.  Their message was delivered.  Their job was done. So, they moved on.

Standing under the tree staring up with gaping mouth, I marveled at Father’s strange way of getting my attention. It didn’t seem to matter that we talked every day since I began hearing His voice.

This was more like an announcement!  And it was meant to impress importance and propel me forward. He didn’t want me to simply make an entry in my journal.

It was like the trumpets blew!   Just like the book of Revelation. Except they blasted their message through a flock of crows.

Apparently, it was time to go get my home.

So,  after pondering this change for a few minutes, I found Hunny in his comfy chair and told him about the crow’s message.  He didn’t laugh or discount the story because we’ve had many strange occurrences with Father.  And Hunny agreed to go house hunting after stressing that he was also very content with what He had.

For the following month, we looked and talked and took trips to see houses that failed miserably.   Finally, we got tired and frustrated.  They weren’t in our budget or they were nothing we could see as our “home”.

By mid-August, we gave up and agreed that it would be best to wait another year and try again.  After all, we were very comfortable where we were.

But that afternoon the crows returned to the tree with all their raucous wonder.  And I went outside to stare at them once more.

“Are you kidding me?” I yelled up at them.

They squawked with gusto and with no signs of stopping. And once again I marveled.

Sighing and shaking my head in surrender, I said,  “OK! We will go find the house!”

And instantly, there it was.  Silence!  Utter, amazing, ridiculous, silence.  Not a peep from one of them.  And then one by one they flew away.  Again.

****

We found our house this time.  But there were some weird problems with it being financed.  So, we moved on.  We even put a bid on another house but in the meantime the weird problem solved itself and we went back.

This time everything sailed smoothly and by the end of October, we were moving in.

****

I still can’t explain why the crows seemed to grate on my nerves like fingernails on a chalkboard.  It wasn’t a big deal to Hunny.  Just another day, but with birds in the background.

For me though, it was more than enough to push me into searching for the answer and to remember that nothing with Father is a coincidence.  He wants to give us the desires of our heart.

At this time, we’ve been in our house for 3 years and often we marvel at our blessings as we sip our coffee’s and appreciate the blaze of sun on the rocky mountain cliffs.

Father never forgets His promises.

 

Love,

Faith