Still a Cuckoo

Bible Reading: Ephesians 2:1-5

“Hey, what do you see?” Dad asked. Madeline had climbed halfway up the swing set and was clinging to the frame as she peered through a pair of binoculars.

“A bird I didn’t recognize just flew into that tree,” Madeline answered, pointing to a tall maple. “I thought it might be a cuckoo.”

“I doubt that,” said Dad. “I don’t think we have any cuckoos around here.”

“I hope not! We learned about them at school. They sneak into other birds’ nests and lay their eggs there right alongside that bird’s eggs. Cuckoo birds are too lazy to build their own nests, hatch their own eggs, or feed their own babies.” Madeline scowled. “I wonder why God made them anyway.”

“I’m sure He had a reason,” Dad replied. “Maybe it was so they could be our example.”

“Our example!” Madeline exclaimed. “Do you mean they’re an example of what not to be? That we shouldn’t be lazy like them or make someone else do the work we’re supposed to do?”

Dad laughed. “Well, that’s a good negative example, but I was thinking of something else. You mentioned that cuckoos don’t raise their own babies.”

“Yeah,” said Madeline. “They turn that job over to another bird—like maybe a sparrow who hatches the eggs and feeds the baby cuckoos and takes care of them.”

“Yes, but when a little cuckoo gets big enough to leave the nest and fly away, does it join the sparrows and act and sing like them?” Dad asked.

“No, I don’t think so,” Madeline answered. “Being raised by a sparrow doesn’t change it into a sparrow. It’s still a cuckoo.” She grinned. “I guess only God could change it into a different bird, but I don’t think He’s going to do that, do you?”

Dad shook his head. “That’s like people,” he said. “Kids may be raised in a Christian home and be fed the truth of the Bible by their parents, pastors, and teachers. But that’s not enough—they’re still sinners and need to be changed. And they can be—but only by God.”

“I see what you’re saying,” said Madeline. “When we trust in Jesus, He changes us.”

“That’s right,” said Dad. “And He’s the only one who can do that.”

-Vera M. Hutchcroft

How About You?

Have you been changed? Or did you think you were automatically a Christian because your parents are Christians—or because you go to church and learn Bible verses? It doesn’t happen that way. Only God can change you. Only He can take away your sin, accept you into His family, and make you a new person. He does that when you put your faith in Jesus. Trust Him as your Savior today!

Today’s Key Verse:
2 Corinthians 5:17 Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (NLT)

Today’s Key Thought:

God can change you