The random thoughts of a Christian parrot
Do you think I could be described as “a gifted parrot”? After all, it’s not every parrot that has his own internet blog. Or who can discern so much about Life, the world and our relationship with God while sitting on an old, wizened perch. So does that make me gifted?
“Oh dear” I hear you say. “Fame is starting to go to that bird’s head!” But it’s not really like that. Because I believe we are all gifted. God has created every one of us as a unique individual, all with our own set of special gifts, qualities and abilities. And half the battle is discovering who we really are, what we are good at, and then fulfilling that newly discovered potential.
Quite often, we can see the special gifts in others around us, long before we recognize our own. So as Christians, we need to be beacons of encouragement to one another, identifying and empowering each other to achieve our full potential. Not purely for ourselves, but for God. There’s lots written about this in the Bible.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father…..” James 1:17
“We have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it…… If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently….” Romans 12: 6-8
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others……” 1 Peter 4:10
There is so much unfulfilled potential in every one of us. Like seeds waiting to germinate; buds waiting to flower; eggs waiting to hatch into parrots……. But the potential I’m referring to isn’t simply about ourselves. It’s our potential to help others. To serve God. To make this world a better place for everyone.
The American author, Leo Buscaglia once said:
“Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.”
So folks, a parrot I may be. And a small one at that. But I’m going to carry on writing my blogs for the sake of parrots, humanity and God!
