A Bird Ate My Chips

After Bible class and worship, we got some Subway and took it to the park for a picnic. There are a lot of places to picnic at Yellowstone. After our picnic we walked a short distance to a river to see God’s beauty. After a little time at the river, my kids looked back to see a large bird (maybe a raven) eating something. After more careful inspection, it was determined the bird was eating my Popcorners (a type of chip). Someone from another picnic grabbed the bag and threw it away. I was kind of aggravated. I remember not finishing those chips with the thought of eating them later. Not anymore, thanks to that bird. I did not get my chips back, so what could I get out of that experience? How about a bulletin article.

My thoughts about this incident after thinking about it days later turned me to the parable of the sower in Matthew 13. It has to do with the first kind of soil where the birds came and ate up the seed of the word of God. I found those chips to be of value and was looking forward to eating the rest of them later, but my carelessness gave a bird an opportunity. The gospel is the most valuable thing we could ever have, and yet how many people are careless with it? They do not have time to study, learn, or apply. They are too busy with this or that. That seems to be all the devil needs. Through our own neglect, the seed (the most valuable thing in this world) of God’s word is gone. I had good intentions to eat the rest of those chips later. Maybe people have good intentions of listening or obeying the gospel later, but it is gone. I did not even know the chips were gone until the kids told me. Maybe some do not even realize the seed is gone. Let us be careful to pay close attention to and obey the gospel of Jesus Christ before it is too late.