Penguins

I’ve always thought that penguins were kind of cute, resembling real-life versions of cartoon characters.  In addition to their rather odd, goofy kind of looks, they have a unique way of building community.  They will get together in large groups of five hundred or more and spend several days building relationships by entertaining each other.  They will swim around in the frigid water for hours, performing all sorts of flips and other antics.  Then the penguins jump out of the water and slide down ice ramps on their bellies back into the water again.  They do it for such a long period of time that they wear giant ruts in the ice. 

Somehow, they all instinctively know when to quit.  Virtually in unison, almost as if a factory end of shift whistle went off, the penguins stop whatever they are doing and gather around in an enormous circle and start making noises.  It’s their crazy way of looking for a mate.  The penguins go through a mutual selection process and then they “finalize” the mating procedure. 

Interestingly, the females will lay the eggs standing up, but after laying the eggs, all the females take off.  Nobody seems to know why.  (Maybe there’s a deal somewhere in the North Pole on tuxedo rentals.)  Once the females leave, the males take over and sit on the eggs.  The males form a large circle around the egg sitters to keep each other warm.   Because it is so cold outside of the circle, the penguins slowly rotate from the inside to the outside, and back again.  The males sit on the eggs for a month.  It is remarkable how, almost to the day of hatching, the females return to the eggs and take over in preparation for the little penguins’ grand entrance into the world.   Penguins just seem to have a built-in radar system.   

Author Donald Miller writes in his book, Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality, “It’s crazy, but I seem to have a radar inside me that says I’m not complete without Jesus in my life.  Much of the world operates without making sense, so perhaps it isn’t so foolish to follow this powerful detection system in my soul that directs me to God.  Not everything can be explained.  It’s better to just enjoy the experience of truth and beauty that permeates your soul.”     

Speaking personally, as I observe unusual things in nature, (such as penguins) I tend to reflect on God, and I marvel at the mysteries of His creations.  But the process of knowing God intimately is not really all that mysterious.  Jesus explains it in John 14:6 saying, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

Some people think that having a personal relationship with God is kind of odd or goofy.  It isn’t.  It IS a way of grace, forgiveness, love, and inner peace.  It is a mystery to me why people don’t want more of it.  His truth proposes a better future, offering freedom from past hurts and current hang-ups.  When we invest in His life, our resolve, as well as our character, are strengthened, and we are better able to overcome our fears.

My prayer this week is to express the hope that the radar of our hearts will focus on our relationship with Christ and allow it to fill an instinctive need within our souls.    

With love,

Pastor Mike Howard