Today was our last day at the beach. Norman and I were savoring every moment and trying to take in everything. We witnessed the sun come up over the horizon and the water glistening on the ocean from the brightness of the sun. It was spectacular!
As I walked down the beach, I noticed all the different varieties and species of birds. Some large white and stately, some smaller, spotted and brown, some tiny, grey speckled creatures that seemed to scurry everywhere they went…some with tiny pointed beaks, some with large beaks that narrow at the end…all were somewhat similar but also very unique. No two were alike.
I couldn’t help but notice how busy some were…and how carefree others were. Some seemed upset and bothered by my presence and still others unphased and not even disturbed by me or my somewhat-near presence.
God gave me a thought as I observed and zoned in on their behavior. They are like us as people. On the outside, they are very similar, whether they are large, small or somewhere in between. Some seem to love the water; some run from it; still others fly over it; some seem totally unphased by it. Whatever the case, it’s obvious that the bird’s job (if he wants to eat) is to find grubs in the sand. Hence, why God gave him the beak shaped the way it is…so the bird can easily poke in the sand and pull up his sustenance. God has given them food in the sand as the ocean water flows back and forth. They have to “work for it” and put their beaks into the sand to find it. He has provided for them, but they must put forth the effort if they want to experience His provision.
Isn’t it the same with us, His people? God has provided His Word, the Bible, to “fill us up” and give us what we need spiritually. It’s all contained within those 66 chapters. He has supplied what we need in every circumstance, but we must do the hard work if we want to reap the provision. Just like the birds, we must “dig” and be busy putting forth the effort if we want peace, joy, contentment, His presence and the like.
Some birds…most I would say, barely skim the surface. They don’t take the time to let their beaks go very deep. They scurry around and “look the part”. They look like a good bird on the outside, but they don’t really take the time to digest or feast on their findings. One reason is their findings are scarce because they don’t want to do the hard work of digging for major grub. Oh, their Creator has supplied tons of wonderful surprises within that sand. But the bird is either too distracted, too busy or seems to have other more important things to attend to…what he misses in the process!!
I saw many birds, of various types, breeds and species, congregated together. They were diligent gathering but also feasting together. They looked content and “natural”, eating their findings as they stood wing to wing in the sand. I thought this picture was a wonderful reminder of what it’s like when we’re feasting on The Word together as The Body of Christ. It must be a beautiful picture to God when we are doing this in unison, unity and one accord. It brought a smile to my face to witness this communal activity; I thought it must make God smile as well when we are actually worshiping for the right reason and/or with the right motive and “hungry” for a Word from Him.
Then I witnessed one of the tiniest birds do something rare. He stood as the water was about to hit his delicate feet and dug down deep with his beak. He almost touched his feathers at the other end of his beak. As he emerged from the sand, he came up with a HUGE nugget of something that was extremely visible to me. He carried it around like a prized possession! He didn’t consume it right then; he waited. I don’t know how long he waited until he ingested it, but I was captivated by the entire process! As I said, he didn’t indulge right away. He took it away to devour in private. And he turned his back to me and scurried away. I couldn’t see him eat, but I assumed he did as he rushed away from me, those tiny feet moving as frantically as possible (as if I was a threat or was going to take his grub). Just like we do with God’s Word…we study and talk to Him privately. It’s like manna flowing from heaven when we understand, receive and apply His Word to our daily life. It satisfies like nothing else. All I know is this tiny creature seemed so excited at his finding. You could tell he was proud of himself and wasn’t going to waste one morsel of it. I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Psalmist’s words when he prayed, “As the deer pants for water, may I pant for your word.” This bird was beyond excited…and I was for him!!
On my rather long walk, I saw another bird do the same. This particular creature was much larger and it seemed to me it was easier for him to dig in the sand. His beak was much larger and better equipped for major digging. It was an analogy to me of someone who had grown up in a Christian home like myself. It’s easier for those of us who’ve been trained and heard the Word since we were babies or little. We may have heard our parents read it, heard a Sunday School teacher or preacher teach about a passage or whatever. We’re the “privileged birds” if you will. We come equipped with all the necessary tools to take in the grub and digest it. But it’s still up to us if we will use the tools God has given us. Just like the larger birds with beaker beaks, we can also decide to be lazy and not allow our beaks to dig deep. We can be content to skim the surface of the sand and just live off what we know…don’t need anything new or different.
As I continued to finish up my walk, I noticed some other birds that stood out. They were the ones who stood erect. They were too “stiff necked” to bend down to even look for food. It was as if they were “too good” to make the effort. I wondered if they went hungry lots of times because they weren’t willing to do the hard work…or maybe they thought they had their act together and didn’t need to “dig” in the sand for their sustenance. They would figure it out on their own. These birds were sad to me. I likened them to a teenager who is too cool to bring his/her Bible to church or ever speak up in a discussion about what’s in the Bible or what’s wrong/right for fear of being seen as “not tolerant” or politically correct. I thought of those in intellectual circles who think they “know more” and are “enlightened”. We, as Christians, are beneath them in thinking and intellect. Just as those birds in the water stood so proud and stately, they looked ridiculous among their peer birds. Most of the birds were busy gathering food and being about the business at hand. The “stiff-necked”, arrogant birds looked silly as they just stood there, as if to say, “I’ll handle it on my own.” I couldn’t help but wonder what or when they ate? All I know is even in their appearance, they looked unhappy. I know birds don’t smile, but their countenance sure does speak volumes.
All of these birds conveyed so much to me! As usual, God taught me so much through each of these different “types”. I don’t think I’ll ever look at them the same without thinking of this “lesson” God gave me.
But which type bird are you? Some days, I must admit, I’m the one skimming the surface. I desire to be the one who is thrilled to carry the “nugget” around…thankful that he has a special “grub” to digest. When’s the last time you met your Creator and took time and asked HIM to show/give you that special “find”?
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” John 6:51
“Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see – how good God is. Blessed are you who run to him. “ Psalm 34:8 The Message
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