“You may suffer for a while, but God will make you steady, strong, and firm.” -- 1 Peter 5:10
Buzzards, bumblebees and ostriches all have wings – but that’s where their similarities end.
Buzzards are magnificent above ground: they can fly for hours without flapping their wings by soaring on warm air currents. But . . . if you put a buzzard in a pen four feet square and entirely open at the top, the bird will remain hostage to its corral indefinitely. The reason: buzzards always begin their flight with a sprint of ten to twelve feet. Without space to run, they won’t even attempt to fly. Inflexible!
So much more than honey collectors, Bumblebees are truly fascinating insects too. Small, yet so efficient, the bumblebee not only defies gravity by taking flight (it's not aerodynamically built for flying), it also keeps its nest cool in the summer by vibrating its wings like a ceiling fan.
The mass extinction that killed off dinosaurs probably grounded the Ostrich’s ancestors. They favored the newly accessible ground cuisine, grew larger over time, and eventually lost their knack for flying. Instead, they took to running! Clever!
Their long, powerful legs can cover great distances without much effort. Ostriches can sprint in short bursts up to 70 kilometers per hour, and can maintain a steady speed of 50 kph for up to thirty minutes. But if they can't fly, why do they have wings?
For one thing, ostriches extend their wings for balance when they run, especially during sudden direction changes. Their main use though, is for courtship rituals.
We’re all a little like buzzards and bees. We struggle with problems and frustrations, not realizing that the answer is right in front of us. When we continue doing what we always did . . . we’ll always get what we always got. If only we could only learn to adapt - as did the ostrich.
Couldn’t we all be more willing to bend, before important relationships break? Stubbornness is an unshakable resistance to change. And given that life is all about change, stubbornness is effectively a resistance to life itself. Inflexibility has only one helpful feature: You always know what you're going to be thinking tomorrow. If we trust God and go with His flow, we’ll make the most of opportunities and relationships. Adapt – as if you’ll live forever!
Lord, if I truly believed You were hearing my prayer, I wouldn’t be acting like this. Help me to adapt like the ostrich – willing to be instructed and challenged for the better. Open my heart to love more . . . and demand less. Amen
