I truly love parrots. They are one of the Lord’s most amazing and truly delightful creatures. The jungle is absolutely full of them in many sizes and colors. There are the little ones that are more like parakeets which fly in large groups, almost never seem to rest, and whose mouths operate 24/7 with chirps and chatters that at times (only at times) borders on nuisance.
There are the green amazons which are the great talkers in the South American parrot world and whose voices sometimes sound like people in conversation as they fly overhead. There are the little chirpers mentioned above and the larger macaws that always fly in pairs and squaw incessantly as they pass over.
At Pueblo Libre there is a small flock of medium-sized green parrots that likes to stop by the stand of coconut trees next to the house we usually stay in. They chatter in constant conversation and play on the palm fronds, often hanging upside down. As I sit inside the house I listen to them, fascinated by the variety of sounds they emit, wondering how they can use that noisy voice to imitate human speech.
Then I step outside to get a look at them in all of their bright green splendor. They continue to chatter for a moment, then one or two of them notices me. There’s an escalation in the noise level and suddenly the whole bunch of them rises in flaps and yaks and swirls away from the palms, only to return when their human threat has gone.
How like people they are. People who carry on oblivious to the Lord’s listening ear, who enjoy the free play of worldly life. When the Master steps into view, either through the voice of His servants or the convicting truth of His word, those who desire to hide themselves raise the noise level to shut out the truth, or make haste to run for cover.
The parrots flee in ignorance. People flee from God in foolishness. They flee from the One who wants to bless them and give them more satisfaction than their present life can give. May the Lord help us to do neither, but rather wait on Him to see how He will touch and bless and change our lives for the better.
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