04152023 Plain Birds

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the God who has perfect design. I am currently assisting an elementary teacher in our Christian school with teaching basic bird identification to her students. The designs God has created for birds are often colorful, sometimes very intricate, and jaw-droppingly varied.

One thing quickly noted about birds is that the males are more colorful and more boldly designed than the females. My mind imagines the female students raising a protest, “That's not fair!” (If you are unfamiliar with bird design and would like some examples, look up the wood duck, rose-breasted grosbeak, red-winged blackbird, and house finch.)

Why did God make female birds so plain? I'm not a biologist, so I don't know what the “experts” would say, but I know what my logical brain thinks. The female bird has to sit on the nest for weeks, waiting for the eggs to hatch, and then she must tend to the little birds until they leave the nest. If she were brightly colored, she would be a sitting duck (or finch, etc.) for predators, boldly declaring her presence and endangering herself and her young. God gave the female birds their design for their own protection so they can safely and successfully do the jobs He gave them to do.

I am reminded that He does the same for people. God designs us exactly as He wants us to be so that we can do the jobs He has for us. That is true in terms of male and female biology and gender-specific traits, but it is also true for personal characteristics, talents, and personality. I'm certain the Bible has a great deal to reveal about this, but I thought of three specific examples.

When God called Moses at the burning bush, Moses bemoaned his poor speaking skills. In response, God reminded Moses, “Who hath made man's mouth? Or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the LORD?” (Exodus 4:11). God gives or withholds abilities based on His plan. Moses was able to do everything that God asked him to do.

When the disciples saw the man blind from birth, they questioned who had sinned that had caused this condition. Jesus assured them that the man’s physical condition was not the result of sin. “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him” (John 9:3). This man’s physical limitation was divinely designed as a venue for displaying the mighty works of God.

Paul had a thorn in the flesh, and his writings reveal that he apparently had some unpleasant characteristics both physically and in his speaking ability. Nevertheless, he was able to serve God in a tremendous way, and his weaknesses provided the platform for God's strength to shine through. Meanwhile, God gave Paul all the grace he needed to do all that He asked him to do. “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. … For when I am weak, then am I strong” (II Corinthians 12:9-10).

In our own lives, these same principles hold true. God designed each one of us, and He made each one of us in exactly the way He wants us to be. Like Moses, we will be able to do anything that God intends for us to do, in spite of our perceived weaknesses. Like the blind man, our lives with their deficiencies can be used to bring glory to God. Like Paul, we can do great service for God when we rely on His inexhaustible grace and when it is His strength that does the work rather than our own.

So are we plain sparrows? Cardinals with muted colors? Mallards lacking the flashy colors of our mates? God made us as we are by design, and His design is specifically fashioned precisely so that we can do the jobs He has designed for us to do. The plainness may actually be the factor that allows us to successfully fulfill our role.

Thank God for His wisdom, as He sometimes chooses for us things that He knows are right, even though we would not have chosen them. Thank God for His strength that shines forth in our weakness. Thank God for His grace that enables us to do what we humanly cannot do. Thank God that He can use the frailest vessels to display His great works. Glory to the God who does it all through us.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA