This is a story about a singing bird. This bird didn't sing in the open, away
from buildings and people. It didn't fly from tree to tree. In fact this bird
had very little freedom. It's home was a cage, and not a very large cage at
that.
The cage hung on a nail outside a small cottage, and many people passed it every
day. The cage was put out every morning and taken in at night. It wasn't a very
attractive cage - just a cheap basket ware one - but the remarkable thing was
that all the people who passed it morning and evening looked up to see if it was
there, and when they saw it a smile came on their faces.
The reason for all this interest was that inside the cage was a singing bird,
and it sang continuously as if that was its sole purpose in life.
As the businessman passed it each morning on the way to the office he would look
up and smile, and he carried that smile with him and passed it on to all that he
met during the day. The factory workers on their way to work would whistle or
sing as they passed and continued with their tune on the factory floor. Children
on their way to school stopped briefly to hear the bird's song and it encouraged
and delighted them. Strangely, not one person said anything about the cheap
cage.
And that's the point. The most important thing was not the cottage, or the
basket ware cage, or even the bird, but the beautiful and infectious song. The
joyful notes, the sheer pleasure that it gave others, reached out far beyond its
cheap cage to the offices, the shops, the factories and the schools.
So what can we learn from this little story of a singing bird in a cheap cage,
hanging on a nail outside a small unassuming cottage on the outskirts of town?
It doesn't matter where we live - in the town, suburbs or the country, in humble
cottages or fine houses. Like the bird whose surroundings were unimpressive,
what is important is what we are and what we do.
Jesus grew up in a modest home in the small town of Nazareth, a simple
carpenter. Yet he was the light of the world. What mattered to Jesus is what
should matter to us - our spirit, the song of our life, our conduct and our
love. May we live for the highest, the noblest and the best. You have so much to
give.
Thanks to Ron Clarke w4w@keypoint.com.au
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.