Understanding Christian Faith in Nature: Watching 2 Blue Jays

Post published:February 16, 2026
Post comments:1 Comment

The Blue Jays Faith

It was a cold February day. I sat at my breakfast table and watched a couple of blue jays build a nest in a tree in my yard. As I watched, I realized that these birds were exercising great faith.

By building this nest, they were saying, we believe that spring will come. The sun will shine. Worms will come from the ground. We also believe the eggs in this nest will hatch. The baby birds will grow to maturity. They will fly away. That is a lot of faith for blue jays to be exercising on a chilly February morning.

Well, you may say that faith is not the right word to use here. That it was not faith being exercised by the blue jays. They built this nest because of the natural instinct ingrained in their DNA. However, these blue jays were sure of things they hoped for and certain of things they did not see. That is faith!

What is Christian faith anyway? Is it not the exercising of the God-given DNA we inherited when Jesus became our Savior? Hope enters our hearts when the Holy Spirit is our Guide, and God is our King. This hope is not wishful thinking that something good might happen. It is a calm assurance that God has promised us a bright future.

The sun does not always shine. Some days are cold and dreary. Often, our finances are strained, and we struggle with sickness. But as God’s children, we live by faith. And like the blue jays, our faith allows us to be sure of the things we hope for and certain of things we cannot see. It is through this faith that we have won God’s approval.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”

Hebrews 11:1-3 NKJV

https://bible.com/bible/114/heb.11.1-3.NKJV

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where the Pavement Ends

www.pavementendsministry.com

Email-douglas@pavementendsministry.com

Tags: assurance, baby birds, believe, challenge, Christian, DNA, faith, February, grace, great faith, Holy Spirit, hope, Jesus, prayer, spring, the Holy Spirit, trust, truth

Pavement Ends Ministry

After years of serving in a pastoral role in several churches, I retired from leading a church full time, but wanted to stay active in preaching the Gospel. I started writing brief, parable-like devotions that were shared through a radio ministry. At the end of the radio spot, I always invite people to come and see me “down where the pavement ends.” (Which comes from the fact that I literally live at the end of a paved road!)