“A Bird in the Hand is Worth Two in the Bush.” This is something I heard over and over as I was growing up. It was saying that the sure thing, a bird in your hand, was better than twice as much, two in the bush, if you did not have control of them. You are in control of the bird you had in your possession, while there was no guarantee that you could ever possess the two that were in the bush.

This is a simple fundamental truth but there might be more in it than the advantage of the sure thing. It might just be that the truth of having ownership of the bird in our hand could enlighten us.

If I have a bird in my hand it is my choice to do with it as I want because I own it. I could put it in a cage and keep it. I could hold it and pet its head. I could set it free by releasing it. It would be my choice to do with it as I pleased. I would not have any of these options with the two birds in the bush because they are not in my possession. I would first have to catch them and own them before I would have control to do with them as I pleased.

We deal with choices everyday of our lives. Some have long lasting consequences while others will help or hinder us for just a short while. We struggle with many things that we seem not to be able to change. With some things it doesn’t matter how hard we try to make the right choices, we can’t get them worked out.

Could it be that those things are like the two birds in the bush? Do we first have to have the problem in our possession before we have any options? Is here a possibility that we must own a problem before we have the option of what to do with it? What does it mean to take ownership of our problems and failures?

These and other life questions will be addressed Sunday morning as “The Gathering Place Family” meets in the Washington Junior High School Library for Bible Study at 9 a.m. and in the gymnasium at 10 a.m. for our Pre-Service Connection where we enjoy coffee, juice and donuts. Our Worship Service and Children’s Church then begins at 10:30. Come at 7 p.m. and be part of our Wednesday night Bible Study and Children’s Ministry on the third floor above Trends at 120 W. Court St. in Washington Court House.