A Lesson from the Seashore
“Why are all those birds standing on one leg?” my friend asked me as we walked on the beach beside the Atlantic Ocean last week.
I had no idea. It looked strange—a little circle of 5-6 birds standing together, all of them on one leg. As we watched them, another bird hopped up to join the group.
When we got closer, we realized they were standing on one leg because it was the only leg they had.
Our questions soon followed. “What happened to their other legs?” and “How did all of those one-legged birds find each other?”
Meanwhile, two-legged birds darted all around us, seeming almost deliberately to ostracize the one-legged creatures.
Somehow, the wounded birds found each other and formed a community. And maybe, like us, they discovered that adversity can make us stronger, and it’s bearable when we allow others to share in it with us.
On our good days, when we have two legs to stand on and feel fairly confident and secure, I hope we people of faith are not so smug that we overlook and shut out those among us who struggle to stand on one leg. And on those days when even our one leg is shaky, I hope we’re honest enough to admit that we need community and brave enough to call out to others to join us.
I had no idea. It looked strange—a little circle of 5-6 birds standing together, all of them on one leg. As we watched them, another bird hopped up to join the group.
When we got closer, we realized they were standing on one leg because it was the only leg they had.
Our questions soon followed. “What happened to their other legs?” and “How did all of those one-legged birds find each other?”
Meanwhile, two-legged birds darted all around us, seeming almost deliberately to ostracize the one-legged creatures.
Somehow, the wounded birds found each other and formed a community. And maybe, like us, they discovered that adversity can make us stronger, and it’s bearable when we allow others to share in it with us.
On our good days, when we have two legs to stand on and feel fairly confident and secure, I hope we people of faith are not so smug that we overlook and shut out those among us who struggle to stand on one leg. And on those days when even our one leg is shaky, I hope we’re honest enough to admit that we need community and brave enough to call out to others to join us.
posted by Jan Turrentine @ 12:47 PM
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