There are many things in this life that simply "catch my attention" on a day to day basis. Hardly a day goes by that something doesn't happen that causes me to pause and think about how much meaning there is in that moment. Today as I was standing looking out of my kitchen window a robin was hopping around the yard and I noticed that he kept hopping up and down on and off of the running board of my truck parked in the driveway. He was captured by his own reflection, it seemed, from the chrome plate on the side of my truck. He sat and watched the other bird in the reflection and seemed comforted to just be there beside it. At first a fleeting thought came of how vain that little fellow was that he had to sit and look at himself so long but upon further observation I don't think it was a case of vanity at all. I noticed that he still had the look of a very young bird who was possibly not long out of the nest. He sat on that running board and was simply comforted by the other bird being next to him. Well, I thought, that's just what he had in the nest as he was growing up. He was surrounded by a nest of siblings that were close to him doing the same thing he was, just doing life and growing, being fed and existing. The next thing he knew he was thrust into a world all on his own out of that place of relationship and comfort and here he was now sitting on my running board finding some comfort once more in the company of another who looked very much like him. That's the way it is in a robins' world.
Well, that's the way it is in our world too I'm here to tell you. We were created for relationship. It brings us what we need in this life, each other. We were never meant to be alone. That companionship of others was ordained by God himself. It's the thing that makes us thrive! Haven't you ever noticed that when people are alone and shut off from others that it sometimes opens a wide door of loneliness and depression and purely a feeling of darkness. That's because we were never meant to be alone. When God created this world and saw that "it was good" and then created Adam, He also realized at that point that something was not good. So, He fixed it and did something really good and He created
Eve. A thought that came to me was that 'being alone is not a good thing for anyone', God made us in His image and that makes us relational beings. All of the loneliness and depression and anxiety and fear and darkness came into being in that perfect garden when sin entered in through Eves choice. She began to believe that to live for herself and her own gain was more important than living to love God and Adam. The other bad choice was made by Adam when he chose to join her. Here's the lesson I believe. . . . Living for what's "best for me" while ignoring everyone else and closing yourself off will always bring alienation and aloneness. We must choose to be with others, around others and most importantly in relationship with others doing life, growing and being fed just like that little robin. We cannot be content by being alone and shut off. Our reflections will NEVER be an answer to true relationship or companionship. We also have to go further and reach out to others that are around us. There is a term that is so full of truth and most often you may hear it from someone who is suffering with loneliness. It says ' I can feel so alone even in a crowded room'. That is so true and I'm here to tell you that happens all the time with people who are feeling the sting of loneliness. The answer lies in the reaching out to others. You can have acquaintances and not have relationship. Relationship is deeper, deeper than the robins reflection in the chrome. It is an actual "intimacy" with another person. Not in a husband/wife intimate way but in a way that you get to know the very deepest things about another person that goes beyond just recognizing their face and knowing their name. It's requires more of us, more of them and time invested. It's a VERY NECESSARY thing to have for us to thrive the way God intended us to thrive.
Eve. A thought that came to me was that 'being alone is not a good thing for anyone', God made us in His image and that makes us relational beings. All of the loneliness and depression and anxiety and fear and darkness came into being in that perfect garden when sin entered in through Eves choice. She began to believe that to live for herself and her own gain was more important than living to love God and Adam. The other bad choice was made by Adam when he chose to join her. Here's the lesson I believe. . . . Living for what's "best for me" while ignoring everyone else and closing yourself off will always bring alienation and aloneness. We must choose to be with others, around others and most importantly in relationship with others doing life, growing and being fed just like that little robin. We cannot be content by being alone and shut off. Our reflections will NEVER be an answer to true relationship or companionship. We also have to go further and reach out to others that are around us. There is a term that is so full of truth and most often you may hear it from someone who is suffering with loneliness. It says ' I can feel so alone even in a crowded room'. That is so true and I'm here to tell you that happens all the time with people who are feeling the sting of loneliness. The answer lies in the reaching out to others. You can have acquaintances and not have relationship. Relationship is deeper, deeper than the robins reflection in the chrome. It is an actual "intimacy" with another person. Not in a husband/wife intimate way but in a way that you get to know the very deepest things about another person that goes beyond just recognizing their face and knowing their name. It's requires more of us, more of them and time invested. It's a VERY NECESSARY thing to have for us to thrive the way God intended us to thrive.
So, two hours later, my little robin is still hopping up and down on the running board trying to figure out why his companion isn't very hospitable. I wonder how long it will take him to figure out that his new acquaintance is just him! I think I'll move my truck and allow him to find some real friends. 😊
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