The random thoughts of a Christian parrot
If you’ve ever met a parrot personally, then you will know that we all like to be told how beautiful, how clever or how special we are. A spot of praise and encouragement is good for morale, and makes us feel both valued and appreciated.
So if humans are so good at saying nice things to parrots, why don’t they say the same kind of things to one another?
I mean, how many husbands and wives tell each other how loved and appreciated they are on a daily basis? Or how many human bosses only speak to their staff to tell them that they’ve done something wrong, rather than done something well? How many human journalists and politicians spend all their day “nit-picking” rather than unifying, encouraging and praising?
And then there’s the whole area of human television. How many programmes focus on the negative parts of human nature rather than the positives? If you seek to find fault, you will blinker yourself. That’s all you will see in the world around you. Humans, like parrots need to be noticed, valued, appreciated, thanked, and above all, -loved. Otherwise, they can end up like sad, forgotten parrots in cages, thinking “what’s the point?”
The disciples knew how important it is for Christians to encourage one another on their spiritual journeys:
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up….” (Thessalonians 5:11)
“He (Paul) travelled through that area (Macedonia), speaking many words of encouragement to the people…” (Acts 20:2)
Love and encouragement go together. Brighten someone’s day today. Whoever it may be, let them know that they are valued and appreciated.
