There was once a little bird that was always afraid.
Afraid to sing.
Afraid to fly.
Afraid of other birds.
His Maker asked him, "Why are you so afraid Little Bird? Why don't you do what I made you to do?"
Little Bird replied, "Well, you see, I'm not very good at flying. So I'd rather not do it. And my song is nothing like that of the blue bird, so I'd rather not embarrass myself and sing. And all the other birds already seem to know each other, so I just feel in the way and left out."
His Maker thought this over, "Hmmmm....seems like you've given this lots of thought. You know I love you even if you never leave your nest, or never sing one note, or never enjoy the company of other birds."
"Yes. I know. I just don't want to disappoint you. It's easier not to try. It's safer to stay right here. There aren't alot of birds like me, you know."
His Maker replied, "Oh, believe me, I know. When I made you, I made you unique. I gave you the song you choose not to sing. I personally think it sounds beautiful. I gave you those graceful wings to dip and dive and perform special feats that not all birds can do. I gave you a personality that I knew other birds needed to be around. It makes me sad for you that you choose not to share the lovely gifts I've given you. It makes me sad that you are choosing not to live in fullness of Life."
Now Little Bird furrowed his little brow, stuck his beak under his wing and thought long and hard about what his Maker had said. He never thought of it that way.
All he knew was his fear.
The fear blinded him to his gifts.
His fear kept him from showing his Maker how much he loved him and how thankful he was to be alive.
"Well....if it really makes you that happy when I sing...I guess I could give it one more try....but I warn you, it's terribly off key and sounds nothing like the Chickadee's crooning."
The Maker couldn't suppress a little chuckle. He listened as Little Bird tweeted away. His heart filled with the love of Little Bird's worship.
All of the sudden, some of the other birds of the forest started flying by his nest. He was starting to get embarrassed but kept singing anyway, knowing that it made his Maker happy. Then he heard soft voices saying, "I never knew he was even here.....Listen to that unique song, will ya, it's spectacular....Now our morning songs will sound even better with this one in the mix."
Little Bird was amazed. The other birds didn't make fun of him after all. All this time he was afraid for nothing. He stopped his serenade and introduced himself, "Hi, I'm Little Bird." All the birds were friendly and couldn't wait to come back and visit again.
Once they left, Little Bird said to his Maker, "Guess what? After I started singing for you, I realized that I didn't need to be good at it. The other birds liked my song, can you believe that?! And now I don't need to be lonely anymore either."
Jolly laughter echoed from the Maker, "See what joy comes from giving your gift away. You bring joy to my heart little one. What are your thoughts on flying? Afterall, it is one of the main things you were created to do."
Little bird hemmed and hawed. He realized he had wasted so much time being afraid, maybe, just maybe he might be wrong about flying as well. Afterall, he'd always wanted to try it. It looked so fun when he saw the other birds doing it. That's part of why he felt left out, they were all flying around without him and would never land on his nest to see how he was doing. But maybe, if he tried flying out there, he could go visit all the other birds. But what if he fell? What if a hawk swooped down and snatched him up? What if a strong wind blew by at just that moment and smacked him to the ground? What if he looked stupid flapping his wings? Oh my....this is a really hard choice. There are so many things that could go wrong. Not to mention, flying is just not safe.
At just that moment, the Maker sent another bird over to visit Little Bird. Little Bird had never seen this bird before. Why this bird was beautiful and was flying in such fun patterns. The other bird called out to Little Bird cheerfully, "Would you like to fly with me?"
Little bird, stunned that another bird wanted to spend time with him, called back, "I'm not good at it, plus it's not safe. But thanks anyway."
"Silly little bird. You were created to fly. Don't be afraid. It's fun. It's exhilarating. It makes our Maker happy. Not to mention, it's alot easier to make friends and find food when you fly. I'll be with you. We can fly together. If you get scared, I'll comfort you. What do ya say?"
Little bird's heart beat faster and faster. He knew he always desired to fly. He was tired of being lonely. Tired of having wings that didn't do what they were made for. He decided in that one instant to throw caution to the wind. His Maker said that he made this gift for him. He loved the Maker so much. He thought he would try one last time to use the gift from the Maker. Maybe if he fell, the Maker would catch him. He had been afraid long enough.
"Here I come....." and off his perch he dove.
It was then that he heard the Maker's voice calmly soothing him, "Not one sparrow falls from the sky without me knowing about it; fear not." At that little bird soared and dipped and dove with his new friend by his side. He finally felt free. He finally felt alive, not afraid anymore. He knew in that instant that this is what he was made for. That it makes his Maker happy when he flys. He knew he was worshipping his Maker doing what he was created to do.
And the Maker was happy indeed.
