LOON!

 ‘Common Loons’ by Gary J. Wege, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-Midwest Region is marked with CC PMD 1.0.

The beautiful loon!  Its call will take you to the moon!
Why did God make it so beautiful with such an alluring, ethereal call.  Perhaps it is because He has something important to tell us.

God made loons special!  Just like He made everything else special, including you.  They are gifted divers.  He made their bones solid and heavy so they could dive more easily.  They are able to flatten their feathers to expel trapped air underwater.   He gave them webbed feet and powerful hind legs toward the back of their body that propel them under water at high speeds.  Fish beware.  The loon is a very fast and agile diver.  It can dive as deep as 250 feet and stay under water for up to five minutes!  It’s nicknamed ‘The Great Northern Diver’ and is Minnesota’s State bird! 

The trouble is the loon needs a long runway for take-off, due to the position of its hind legs and extra heavy bones.  Depending on the wind, they may need a quarter mile of wing flapping and running on the water to gain lift off.  They can easily get stranded on a lake or pond if it is too small!!!  This can be deadly, especially in the winter.

Like the loon, we all have gifts!  ‘Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them…Romans 12:6. Use them for what?  To bless others! 

The scripture encourages us to discover and nurture our gifts.  This is a good thing.
‘Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.  Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.’  1 Timothy 4:14-15.

Although this scripture is directed to those five-fold ministry gifts (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers) within the body of Christ, I believe it also applies to any gifts you have.  Isn’t it pleasing to God and a way of thanking Him for the gifts He has given you to ‘NOT neglect’ them?  To be ‘diligent’ in developing them. To ‘give yourself wholly to them’ so that everyone will see your progress!’ 

BUT!  To concentrate on your gift to the exclusion of everything else is like the loon landing on a small lake and getting stranded.  We all need a larger lake! 

I’m thinking about my life.  I discovered my artistic gift at the University of Washington and graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture.  I soon became a member of the prestigious Foster/White gallery in Seattle.  My work was featured in the permanent ‘Collection of Northwest Artists’ sponsored by the Rainier Bank.  I was commissioned to build a 20-foot, five-ton steel sculpture for the Bellevue College.  (See ‘ABOUT’ me on my HOME page.)

I was going to be rich and famous.  This was a small lake.  These are but temporal things.  God had other plans.  He called me to share my gift by becoming a Professor of Art and a blessing to many!  A much bigger lake!

And instead of storing up treasures on earth, I began to store up treasures in Heaven, loving God, sharing my gift and ministering to my students.

As the scripture says, ‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’ Matthew 6:19-21. 

I believe that many very gifted people focus on their gift to the exclusion of everything else. The gift is good, even extraordinary, but they are fixing their eyes on what is seen which is temporary.  It’s a small lake.  Some get stranded there.  Some die.  Is this what happened to Robin Williams, Elvis Presley, Kurt Cobain, Freddie Prinze and so many others?  IMDb (Internet Movie Data Base) lists 177 actors and celebrities who have committed suicide.  Perhaps they didn’t know that they needed to move to a bigger lake where they could have focused on what is unseen and eternal. Paraphrased from 2 Corinthians 4:18. 

Couldn’t the eternal things of God have ultimately saved them?

Jesus gave us life’s formula contained in two commandments.  Matthew 22:37-39; ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is eternal, numero uno, the first and greatest commandment.’

The second, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  This is temporal, but equally important.   

Love your God and use the gifts He gave you to love your neighbor and you will be safe in a big lake with plenty of room

TO TAKE-OFF AND FLY!   

Do yourself a favor and click on the link below and listen to ‘Birdsong: Canadian Loons Family Sounds of Nature’ on YouTube.