The random thoughts of a Christian parrot
There’s an old saying amongst parrots that “birds of a feather flock together.” In other words, there’s safety in numbers and with the same kind. But you know, that isn’t always true. Certainly not in my case……..
I’ve lived with my owner and his family for over 18 years now, and we’ve built up an extraordinary trust. I’m like an “honorary” human, and they are like “honorary” parrots. They all know that I won’t harm them, and I know that I’m loved and therefore completely safe. So despite being from different species, we have a unique relationship. There’s no fear, no distrust and no insecurity between us. To such an extent that I regularly offer my owner a free dental inspection. If my beak can’t price any of his fillings out, they must be in good shape! Of course, he could snap his mouth shut on me at any time, but I know he would never do that.
And then there are the Saturday morning lie-ins. I’m a pretty laid-back bird, so I’ll sneak on to my owner’s bed, and join him and his wife for a snooze (lying on my back of course).
And having so much trust and belief in someone is truly very special. And it’s rather like the relationship that God and Jesus want us to have with them. Because the more we can trust in God and Jesus, the better equipped we become to deal with the world around us. We develop a greater sense of peace and security, purpose and certainty. A unique bond that can often take many years to develop, and a bond that still needs to be worked on every single day. And there may well be days when things don’t go well. We might forget about God and Jesus, -lose sight of them both, or choose to do the wrong thing. There will always be blips along the way. All relationships have to be worked at. But over time, that bond and trust will hopefully become stronger and stronger and maybe even rock-solid. And then we will see everything in an entirely new light; both our current world and our place in it, as well as our future in Heaven. And in that future, we begin to identify a new kind of order, one in which threat and menace have disappeared, and love and harmony reign. Rather like the vision described in Isaiah, chapter 11 verses 6-7:
“The wolf will live with the lamb,
The leopard will lie down with the goat,
The calf and the lion and the yearling together;
And a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear,
Their young will lie down together,
And the lion will eat straw like the ox……..”
Isaiah 11:6-7
A world without predator and prey; a world of peace and togetherness. A world in which difference is forgotten and unity reigns.
And my relationship with both my owner and God is just the start of things to come!