Live Out Loud
This is one big Woodpecker! I was visiting some friends who live in the mountains and saw this bird right outside the window as I sat in my chair and read. It is a Pileated Woodpecker, a bird that grows to be up to 19 inches long with a wing span of 30 inches, weighing 14 pounds. I still feel the same excitement when I see one today as I did as a boy. They are spectacular creatures.
I'm sure that one reason I like them so much is that they remind me of Woody Woodpecker, a favorite cartoon of my boyhood. But another reason they catch my eye is they seem so strong and self-assured. They carry themselves with a sense of confidence. When they go to work on a tree, they are loud and proud. When they swoop in and out through the woods, they own the airspace. These beautiful birds live out loud.
I have a feeling that when we live out loud, we might exude that same kind of confidence. When we know who we are, and more importantly, who we want to be, it shows. Not in bravado or arrogance, but in the way we go about all the little things that comprise our lives.
Many things can rob us of our confidence. Hard experiences that did not turn out as we had hoped. Goals we worked toward but never achieved. The disappoint that comes from a sense of betrayal by the institutions and companies which we serve. The words of those who would hurt us for the sake of their own ends. The consequences of our own unhealthy choices in life.
Life can be hard, and we can sometimes find ourselves struggling with our sense of who we are. That is when it is a gift to remember that our worth comes from God. We are each beloved and unique. When we live into those truths, even through the hardest of times, we can live into who we are.
Peace.
I'm sure that one reason I like them so much is that they remind me of Woody Woodpecker, a favorite cartoon of my boyhood. But another reason they catch my eye is they seem so strong and self-assured. They carry themselves with a sense of confidence. When they go to work on a tree, they are loud and proud. When they swoop in and out through the woods, they own the airspace. These beautiful birds live out loud.
I have a feeling that when we live out loud, we might exude that same kind of confidence. When we know who we are, and more importantly, who we want to be, it shows. Not in bravado or arrogance, but in the way we go about all the little things that comprise our lives.
Many things can rob us of our confidence. Hard experiences that did not turn out as we had hoped. Goals we worked toward but never achieved. The disappoint that comes from a sense of betrayal by the institutions and companies which we serve. The words of those who would hurt us for the sake of their own ends. The consequences of our own unhealthy choices in life.
Life can be hard, and we can sometimes find ourselves struggling with our sense of who we are. That is when it is a gift to remember that our worth comes from God. We are each beloved and unique. When we live into those truths, even through the hardest of times, we can live into who we are.
Peace.
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