A young starling happened into our building at work and couldn’t find its way out. The building is like a huge warehouse with high rafters, no windows, and double doors through a low entryway.  We had gone home at the end of the day, leaving him inside all night.

Next morning I pondered his predicament and asked other employees how to assist him to fly out.  They said “Oh, don’t even think about it.  It never works!” and they went about their jobs without another thought to the bird’s plight.

I tried to take their stance and continue working without further thought to the bird, but my Spirit was unsettled and would not let go.  The bird needed freedom and I stopped periodically to watch it.

During one of those intervals the bird flew into the entryway and perched on a landing above the doors.  Seeing him so close to freedom, I elicited the aid of a coworker who held the door open and tossed his gloves up to the landing in an attempt to unperch the bird and cause it to fly outside.  The gloves scared it, causing it to fly back inside the building.

My heart fell and suddenly I was sadder than before.  I thought of it slowly dying of starvation and that we would find it dead somewhere.

I stood helplessly and looked at the bird above me on a rafter and watched its eyes as it watched me.  Suddenly I resolved that there must be a way for it to fly to freedom and I went to the front doors and opened them.  I stood to the side and crouched low to see him up in the rafters still watching me.  Then I called to him softly.  “Come out, bird, come out”. I swung my arm to the open door way then stared at him wondering how to communicate with him.

Again I swung my arm with a low and wide sweep and said “Come out, bird”.

It seemed like a long time standing in a doorway, but was probably no more than a full minute. My heart yearned for him to miraculously respond as I looked up at his eyes, pleading for him to understand my efforts.

Suddenly he took flight from the rafter and swooped downward straight through the open doorway.   My eyes and mouth were wide with amazement as he flew into freedom.

I think I “whooped” out loud causing my coworkers to turn to me as I exclaimed, “The bird flew out!  He flew out when I told him to!”

I basked in this glorious release for a long time and finally told Father, “Wow! You are really showing off in me today! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

Eventually after the extreme emotions of joy and tears had exhausted me, I pondered the thing and knew the bird had responded to my yearning compassion.  I am convinced it is a universally understood communication deeply imbedded into all of creation.  The deepest yearning of compassion draws us into the miraculous.

Compassion was the heart of Jesus when he was moved to heal the sick or feed the crowds.  I believe it is LOVE in its fullest display of life.  It is the power to heal and restore.  But it isn’t sympathy.  Sympathy is a sadness of defeat without power.  However, compassion compels us to reach into the depths of our Spirit and bring to bear the power of creation that usually lays dormant within us.  Only in moments of most real compassion do we reach into that realm within us and touch that spark of Power.  It is the real power of Love that is sung about, preached about and told in ancient tales.

It cannot be manufactured through sheer Will.  I believe it is the Power of HIS LOVE and the more we touch it, the more power we will see manifested through us.

Compassion is why the bird flew out the door I held open for him.  He felt the power of love engaged to set him free. Compassion had no other choice.  It would not let him die inside the building.  LOVE would not.