Listen To the Mockingbird....

[Mockingbird&StreetLamp, 2008, JAVanDevender]

This little guy greets me just about every morning.  Sometimes he's perched on the gable above the Church porch, sometimes sitting just at the edge of the high roof, peering over the ledge, sometimes he flutters in the trees.  His cheeriness is a decided contrast to my usual mood but then, that's my problem not his, isn't it?

I have threatened to snap his picture many times, but usually he doesn't perch still long enough for it.  Today he was content to pose for a while.

I am not sure that there is much more to this experience than the simple "life-ness" of it, but one, probably far-fetched, notion did cross my mind.  Perhaps this little guy kind of embodies something significant about the Christian life.  He is dwarfed by the immense light on which he stands and yet, from that foundation he fills the morning with his song.  We Christians are dwarfed by the Light on which we stand also.  Our Lord's light fills the world, not just a parking lot.  He is the Light of the world, no man comes to the Father except through Him, and yet, it is our privilege to stand on Him and sing.  We have the privilege of filling this world with our song, living out our moments by drawing attention to the One from whence the light comes.

Maybe, sometimes, we take our lives too seriously.  We seem to think that the world, the Kingdom, the country, our church, our families, depend entirely on us.  We load ourselves down with an over-burden of "oughtness" that translates into "do-this" or "do-that" objective type accomplishments.  We carry the weight of "success" on our shoulders.  True, we must be clear-headed and mission oriented.  We must not diminish the importance of accomplished tasks.  But, maybe, just maybe, the primary reason we are in this world is to simply sing.  The mockingbird has to eat, build a nest, hatch the eggs, and fight off intruders (a task for which he shows remarkable enthusiasm).  But, that for which he is known and loved, is his song.  You know... that might be something to ponder and embrace for our lives also.

Maybe, this morning, there was a reason why the little guy sat still.  He was just waiting for me to appreciate how he serves the Lord God also.

Comments

[Gadfly]

Making us smile... that's what mockingbirds do best!

[Susi]

I just read your mocking bird entry. Makes me smile. Tweet tweet.