Dead Bird

January 7, 2013 was my first day of work after the long Christmas break: going back to the routine of waking up early, rushing to the bus stop, observing ‘milagroras’ (1-hour prayer aboard the bus) and walking for 20 minutes towards the office.

Business as usual it seemed, until I was about to enter the main entrance of the Auckland High Court building.  There lay a dead bird. Calmly, I picked it up, placed it farther away. Later I brought it to a garbage bin. The entire morning, I couldn’t get the dead bird out of my head. 

I searched in Google to find out the meaning of ‘dead bird in the entrance.’ Some were outright funny, others were more serious.  The most hilarious, “A dead bird on the step means either a cat loves you and has brought you an offering of food, or it means a bird flew into the window/door and killed itself. That happens a lot around windows; they see the reflection of the sky and fly right into it.” 

A more profound answer was, “I can only tell you that from experience. Without fail every time there was a dead bird found in my home someone I loved passed away. I started to believe that it was more of a warning. It has happened with my grandmother, grandfather, my sister’s fiancé, my Nana and my dad. Every single time we found a dead bird in the house and within weeks they were dead. All of them had illness except my sister’s fiancé. So maybe coincidence but, whenever I do find one, I take it very seriously and pray for nothing to happen.”

I am not superstitious. But in the Bible there are countless passages on signs most prominent of which is the star over Bethlehem when the infant Jesus was born. Revelations provide for signs of the end-of-time, which is often used by false prophets and doomsayers in every generation.

Saint Timothy wrote: “But understand this that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)  If you think about it, that could mean this age and time.

Heed these words: “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mark 13:32)

One source tells of a demonic premonition called an omen, “This type of premonition is a sign of things to come. We are forbidden to seek it - even to know its Interpretation. Christians are to stay as far away as possible.” “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer.” (Deuteronomy 18:10)

God has planned for us our lives, and He wills for us to join Him in his Kingdom. Therefore, I won’t let a dead bird bother me of what is to come. Rather, I resolve to pursue the path of God shunning temptation and sin. I resolve to lead a prayerful life, asking for forgiveness, and seeking protection for my loved ones and for all His people.

For surely, God listens: “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you, Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil.” (Isaiah 1:15-16)