God can Use a Turkey!

"You turkey!" we say when a friend or family member does something goofy or mischievous. Then we all laugh and brush off the minor misdemeanour's.

But the other day God used not one, but a whole flock of wild turkeys to lift me up! “Huh? How’d they lift you up?” you ask. Well, they didn't literally LIFT me up, but they lifted my spirits!

Pretty weird huh? How can a flock of turkeys lift your spirits you ask? Let me tell you…

So, I was actually having a really difficult day. I was feeling very depressed and sadness covered my soul like thick darkness. Nothing seemed to matter. My soul was in anguish over some of the grief that I carry in my heart and it was especially keen on piercing through any and all of the good in my life. I was feeling as though there was only despair, no hope.

My husband and I were travelling home on a county road that same day and suddenly he exclaimed, “WHAT is THAT?” I looked and shouted, “Wild turkeys!” He pulled over and I grabbed the binoculars that we keep handy in the vehicle. The sight was really amazing! There was a harem of several turkeys in a farmer’s field on the other side of the road and two toms were displaying their tail feathers in a very extravagant manner while presenting a little dance for the females. They were sizing each other up and at the same time trying to impress all of the “ladies”. I was just wishing that I had my good camera when I remembered it WAS in the vehicle; I had forgotten to take it in a couple of weeks previous. I triumphantly scrambled to the back of the Jeep to grab them, hopped outside and began snapping away! Wow! What a rush! It was truly a great experience seeing all of these wild creatures in action! We ended up crossing the road, walking down a ditch, across a makeshift little bridge and through part of a field to the edge of a tree line to try to get a closer look; but as smart as turkeys are, they already were far ahead of us in reaching the other end of the next field!

God will use different things, people and circumstances to lift up our spirits! He works in mysteries, and also uses the simple things of life to encourage us at our lowest times.

Look at what David said in Psalm 3:1 & 2 – “Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me “There is no help for him in God.”  

What hope is there if even God will not help? Do you sometimes feel that way; as though your circumstances are saying that there’s no way out, that even God cannot help you, in fact - He’s against you too?

But listen to what David says next in verses 3 & 4, “But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.” Isn't that beautiful and encouraging? The Lord is the one who lifts up your head! In other words, when your head is hanging low in despair, He’s there to lift it up!

So – back to the turkeys! The thing that I wanted to share with you was that after this encounter with nature, I simply felt better! I had a sense of joy and excitement, my heart was encouraged! Now, this may not have been the case for you if you had seen some wild turkeys, but God knows what each of us needs. He touches each of us in very personal ways. God knows that I love His creation and nature photography, and He gave me a chance that day to set aside my feelings of doom and despair and trade them in for His joy! Nehemiah 8:10 says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength”. I received joy from the Lord through those turkeys that day, and as foolish as that may seem to some, it was a miracle of His grace to me!

May you receive encouragement from these words I have written here today, and may the joy of the Lord be your strength!!!