My Little Role Models

Birds. They're such little things... especially to be role models! But that's just what they've become to me. I admire them.

Sitting on the porch this morning, I listened to the sounds of nature coming to life. The clear, mellifluous voices of robins echoed from the hills, mingling with the tiny, sweet voices of chickadees singing their spring songs. As I listened, I was filled with a desire to be like them. Put in human terms, birds have a depth of character that can be rivaled by few.

• They are always full of vibrant, bubbling activity, yet they're never too busy to stop and pour out their delight in a torrent of exuberant song.
• Whatever He calls them to do, they do it with all their might. Whether nest-building, searching for food, or just praising.
• They retire on His time-frame, and when they wake to His call, their first priority is praise.
• Sometimes all I know of a bird is its song. When I hear a little voice emanating from the depths of a tree and try to catch a glimpse of the tiny chorister, I usually never see it. If I do, it is often just a simple little ball of plain brown feathers... a precious reminder that it is not the bird's plumage but its praise that makes it beautiful.
• Birds sing whether they have a beautiful voice or not. I heard a duck quacking with as much energy as the robin this morning. And it was beautiful, because it was giving all it had, with all it had! It is not the voice but the heart that makes a beautiful song.

I could go on, but suffice it to say that I admire my little role models. It amazes me that such a tiny bit of life can set such a high standard. (Yes, there's another lesson...)

I'm beginning to see why our Savior specifically told us to "consider the ravens" (Lk. 12:24), and I'm sure they'll be the subject of even more fruitful thought for many mornings to come.