Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Different but the Same

April 26, 2017

As I sit here at dawn drinking my morning coffee with the back door open, I'm listening to the birds singing their good mornings.  I'm still enjoying the one who is a new song to me -- three descending minor notes with a little trill at the end -- I believe it is a white-throated sparrow, but I haven't been able to spot her yet.  I love waking up this way and as I smile and enjoy the hope of a new day, a lesson comes to mind. 



I am grateful to God the Creator for the great diversity all around us for us to enjoy and learn from.  I reflect on all the different kinds of birds there are, each with its own look, its own way of living and nesting, and each with its own song.  Yet they are all birds, a part of the same species, a part of the same family and there is something to appreciate in each of them. 

So it should be with humans.  We each have our own look, our own way of living, and sing our own songs but still a part of the same human family. But oftentimes, we focus on our differences and when we do that it breeds judgment, competition, jealousy -- all the things that drive us apart.  Maybe we need to be more like the birds who live together in this one world, allowing one another to live their own way.  We need to look more for what we have in common while learning to appreciate the differences without the judgment, competition and jealousy because "they"don't live the same way as "we" do. We need to be more concerned about how we are living our own lives and not worry so much about how others live theirs.