Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Friday and Sabbath, June 19 and 20, 2026
Around the corner just outside our cul-de-sac is a large community park, with a basketball hoop, a tennis (or pickleball) net, and swings and other large kid toys, plus lots and lots of grass.
Passing the park is the first part of Shelley’s and my daily walk, and it’s always interesting to see who’s there. There might be moms and kids, or teens shooting hoops, or a couple of sweaty pickleball zealots.
But maybe the most dependable park patrons are the robins. The earlier in the day it is, the early-bird-worm-getters are out in force, sometimes five to ten birds. Robins aren’t very shy, and they are seldom spooked if humans come close to where they’re pecking the grass.
But I’ve always noticed that whenever they’re not pecking, they’re standing at attention, keeping alert. I’m no ornithologist, so don’t know how true it is that this upright stance means that the bird is listening for worms burrowing beneath the soil. But whatever the reason, they all do it.
Keeping alert, of course, is something that humans need to do, especially those interested in what’s been called the great controversy between Christ and Satan. And the Bible has much to say about this vigilance. Here are several links to passages which remind us to keep watch.
https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/thinking
https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/complacency
https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/discernment