Pigeon Walk

Have you ever wondered why a pigeon walks so funny? I did. So I Goggled it, of course, because, what DOESN’T Google know?? Pigeons walk so funny so they can see where they’re going. A pigeon’s eyes can’t focus as it moves, so the bird actually has to bring its head to a complete stop between steps in order to refocus. It proceeds clumsily—head forward, stop, head back, stop.

So I began to notice, “Well what does a pigeon have to do with my walk with Christ?“ Then I thought, as Christians, in our spiritual walk with the Lord, we have the same problem as the pigeon: We have a hard time seeing while we’re on the go. It’s go here. Run there. Hurry back here. We rarely stop between steps—to pause and refocus on the Word and the will of God. That’s not to say we have to pray and meditate about every little decision in life. But certainly our walk with the Lord needs to have built into it a pattern of stops that enable us to see more clearly before moving on. Christ instructed us to pray even! Matthew 26:41 says, “Keep alert & pray. Otherwise, temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!” (NLT) Stopping is good. It doesn’t mean that I’m slow. It means I have sense enough to know I can’t keep going constantly without refreshing myself.

Another example I found of prayer, I found in Daniel’s practice of praying three times a day. This was an essential part of his walk with God (Daniel 6:10). And prayer is especially essential to my walk with God in today’s world. Prayer develops my relationship with Him. Daniel 6:10, “Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” Nothing stopped him. You see, Daniel knew that there’s a certain kind of spiritual refocusing that we just can’t do without stopping. In his walk, (and from his example) his stops gave him a very different kind of walk—one that was obvious to those around him. Wouldn’t it be the most wonderful-est and awesome-est event ever to know that our walk is so different from other walks of life (as it SHOULD be) & even other CHRISTIANS walks, that it becomes obvious??

So then what about us? At the risk of being thought of as different (as Daniel was) there’s quite a valuable lesson to be learned from the pigeon: “Looking good” isn’t nearly as important as “seeing well.” So instead of being so concerned about how it looks to other people to pray in public, or how often I should pray (although I can pray as often throughout the day as I please), I will “focus” my vision by just praying; stopping in my steps to refocus. Daniel’s example is an excellent one & if Daniel and Christ’s examples weren’t enough, God even used the pigeons to give insight! Prayer keeps me connected to my Father and gives me direction. It refreshes me on my journey to becoming even more BOLD and FABULOUS in/for Christ.

There is a blessed calm at eventide
That calls me from a world of toil and care;
How restful, then, to seek some quiet nook
Where I can spend a little time in prayer. —Bullock

TO THE KING!!

-Claire