A Gift of Crows

How much do you know about crows? I only know a little. I know they like sparkly things. They like to steal them. And sometimes, especially if you feed them or give them sparkly things, they may bring you gifts in return. Just yesterday a friend of mine told me about a crow who used to tap his beak on her window and leave sparkly things for her even though she’d never given him anything. 

On a seemingly unrelated note, remember the account of Joseph in the Bible? His brothers were jealous of him, threw him into a pit, sold him into slavery, and told their father he’d been torn apart by wild beasts. Talk about a series of unfortunate events! But then, God used all those truly awful events to bring Joseph into a position from which he could rescue his family and lots of other people from starvation. Later on in the account, Joseph told his brothers, “What you intended for evil, God intended for good.”  Amazing! God didn’t make the bad things good, but he did bring good gifts out of the bad things.

And that brings me back to crows. I’ve been thinking of them lately. Those feathered kleptomaniacs who are known to give good gifts. And lately, when I notice God bringing a good gift out of circumstances that have perhaps stolen my happiness for a time, I’ve been calling it a gift of crows. I like that description. It’s not quite accurate if you think about it too deeply since crows aren’t actually bad the way that circumstances can be. In fact I think they’re pretty special. But still, I like the name.

I’ll tell you a gift of crows I’ve experienced repeatedly. When my heart is heavy with grief, I go to God with it and He comforts me but doesn’t necessarily take the grief away. And somehow through grief and comfort, God brings gifts of inspiration. Some of my favorite paintings have been born out of grief and comfort. Pictures of light overcoming darkness. A gift of crows.

Have you noticed a gift of crows in your life too?

Blessings to you this week! 

~Amy