The random thoughts of a Christian parrot
The other day, my best friend Einstein (the African Grey) invited me over to his place for afternoon nuts. For those of you that haven’t read about Einstein before, let me tell you that he’s something of a parrot genius, coming up with theories ranging from biodynamics to rocket science.
Photography: Mrsdrswan, YouTube
On this occasion, Einstein seemed a bit flat. He told me that he didn’t feel very attractive or trendy. “After all, my plumage is predominantly grey,” he said. “I don’t have all of the exciting colours of Macaws and Amazons. I’m just seen as a bit of a novel geek. And to cap it all, my name translated from the German simply means “One Stone.” That just about sums me up!”
With that, he fluffed up his feathers, and then dragged across a new parrot toy brochure which featured a whole range of parrot skateboards and roller skates. “Do you think I’d become more trendy if I got myself some of these?” he asked. And with this one question, he opened up the whole issue of feeling the need to fit in with everyone else. Call it “the flock” or “the herd” instinct, if you like. It’s all about worldly expectations imposed on everyone by humans and parrots alike. So you need to have “the right” colours. You need to strut your stuff wearing “the right” plumage. All to get “the right” image amongst your peers. Oh dear! I didn’t know where to start with my reply……….
Photography: Britannica.com
I told Einstein that feathers are nothing more than an outward casing for what we have inside. After all, it’s our inner personality, our individuality and the spiritual part of our make-up that really count. The trouble is that parrots and humans like to dictate what’s really important in life, and they nearly always get it wrong. Just think about what humans demand of one another in today’s society. Good looks. Big muscles. Large bosoms. Voluptuous curves. Unblemished skin. Blinding white teeth. And loads and loads of spray tan. How much of this is real, and how much of it is a false veneer? What about that inner part of us all? Surely it should all be about the inner light that shines through us, -even if that light has to shine past acne, feather-druff, scars, birth marks, deformities, wrinkles, grooves, furrows, bags and goodness knows what else. It’s our inner light that should really count for everything.
In the Bible, whenever Jesus deals with people, He doesn’t stop to think about their physical appearance. He looks straight into their inner being to see what kind of light is shining there.
And in Galatians, chapter 2, verse 6, we are reminded that:
“God does not judge by outward appearance.”
And so I told Einstein that each one of us is different, unique and special. Real beauty is the love that shines out of someone’s eyes. It’s the smile that extends across their face. And it’s formed of the good things that we do during our lives. A mosaic of kind thoughts, fine gestures and good deeds. That’s what real beauty and worthiness is all about. Forget radiant feathers, shining hair, Botox, plastic surgery, fast cars, parrot skateboards and the rest of it. For they’re all part of a superficial act.
As we grow older, we can all start to lose a few more feathers or gain a few more bags and wrinkles. But does that really matter if we are becoming more beautiful on the inside with every passing day?Is an amputee or someone who’s had a mastectomy any less attractive because they no longer conform to the worldly social norm? Or does their inner light shine all the more brightly because of the difficult experience that they’ve been through?
God loves us for who we really are. Our faults, our blemishes, our wrinkles, and above all, our inner light. And ultimately, that’s all that matters.
