Created for a Purpose

 

On this early morning, against a perfect blue sky, I heard the strong and joyful singing of a single bird. The song was so loud that I sought out the singer, but to no avail. I stopped and searched in every tree and bush. The notes kept drawing my eyes higher and higher until I finally saw it. Perched high atop a utility pole, higher than the surrounding trees, the bird performed for all to hear. It was a recital of joy for all who were blessed enough to pass by at that particular moment.

The Psalmist writes , “Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.” I thought of this image of birds in the Temple, at home in the holy place. In their own way they served their creator. I like to think this bird was singing as if in worship, praising God for life, for the morning, for the beauty of the earth. The sky was the Temple and the pole the high altar. The beautiful song the sacrifice of praise.

I was taken with the thought of how blessed I was that morning because a bird did what it was created to do. For a moment, everything else seemed to stop. For a moment, in this troubled world and in my troubled mind, all was beauty and song. It was a moment that invited a pause to breathe and to listen. It was a moment of remembering that when we do what we were created to do, the world is blessed.

To serve. To show compassion and kindness. To point others to the God of grace and love. These are the things we were created to do. What a difference we could make if we all sang the song of these gifts each morning.

Peace.