Tuesday, July 25, 2017
What a crazy ostrich reminded me about Jesus and life...
It was a fun ride through a wildlife park with our
grandkids. The grandkids were especially
enjoying getting to feed the animals.
They would come right up to the car and even eat cubes out of tour hands. Everything was wonderful, until
the ostrich showed up. There were
several of them and knowing a little of how aggressive they could be… we were
careful to drop the food pellets out the window instead of holding the food in
our palms.
But there was one ostrich that was very aggressive and stuck
his head right inside the driver’s window.
And that is where I was. My
grandson, Jake, was in the passenger seat and being a quick thinker, he decided to
throw pellets at the ostrich. He assumed
it would be so interested in catching the pellets that it would move its head
back to catch them. So he threw a
pellet. Good arm, good accuracy, and no
cooperation from the ostrich. The food
bounced right of its beak and back into the car. On me.
Which led the ostrich to try and retrieve it.
Let’s just say it is funnier now than it was then.
But I did learn a few things that reminded me of Jesus and
life.
1. Good plans well executed do not
always turn out like you planned. Things happen. Natural disasters, economic downturns, sickness, sin. All of these things change the best laid plans. Which reminds me I am not in control. And ostriches end up
chasing food inside your car instead of outside. Thankful to be reminded God is in control.
2. People are who they are. They do not always act like we want them to,
or like we expect them to act. They are
being formed, shaped, and changed to be more like Jesus. And that is messy. Sometimes they revert to old patterns. Or temptation ambushes them. An ostrich is an ostrich and behaves like
one. People are people, and they act
like it. Only Jesus can change
them. Just like he changed us.
3. This world is not our reality. The whole idea of a wildlife park is not
real. That park has fences, animals are
separated, and the whole thing is fenced in.
We rode through the park with dozens of other cars, feeding “wild”
animals out our window. It was not real.
This world is not our reality
either. It seems as if evil is winning
and Satan is in control. Not true. Jesus has overcome all the powers of
darkness. He has even defeated
death. He is on the throne and someday
will come back to take us to our real home. I need to remember that.
So I was reminded by a crazy ostrich
that I am never really in charge, that people are messy, and that this world is
not my reality.
I need that lesson.
