THIS IS WHAT MY PEACEFUL DOVES HAVE TAUGHT ME – WILL I HEED THE LESSONS? PART 2 OF 2
This is PART 2 of the message on doves. The peaceful dove (zebra doves in the USA – exotic bird) is an Australian native. See PART 1 for the introduction to this story. We have been looking at Lessons we can learn from these doves.
God’s creation is marvellous, so it is no wonder that biblical writers make common references to nature – the birds, animals, insects, etc. These creatures are used to teach lessons or are used in parables. Do you recall Solomon who wrote, “Go to the ant, you sluggard,” when making references to lazy people?
We now continue looking at the Lessons we can learn.
7. RISE UP AND WORK! The parasitic “Pseudolychia canariensis”. All these doves have that parasite fly in the Hippoboscidae family, known as “the lousy fly” or “louse fly”. I saw them early on at the start running over the backs of the doves and then disappearing under their wings, but had no idea what they were until I did a lot of research. They move from one dove to another; pigeons have them too, and if they get dislodged they quickly find another host. Both adult males and females feed on the blood of their host. The feet are adapted for clinging to, and moving through the plumage and pelage of their hosts. Strongly specialised claws help them cling to the hair or feathers of their particular host species.
Hippoboscids will bite humans when given no other choice of host, and their bites are definitely itchy, but the flies did not survive long or reproduce when fed only human blood. Despite their mobility, they rarely spend any time off of their hosts. A fly dislodged from its host will quickly fly back to it, or the next closest host. Their bodies are distinctly flattened (from back to belly), as if someone had dropped a book on them. This flat body shape allows them to slide between the feathers and scuttle around in the fur of their hosts. Their shape and tough exoskeletons also make them hard to squish, both for their hosts and for the humans that study them. According to one scientist who has worked on hippoboscids, you can’t just smack them, you have to “roll them between your fingers” to kill them.
No parasite is good. God did not create human beings to be parasites, living off others, but ordered it that after the fall we work for our living “by the sweat of our brow”. Christians must not be parasites, living off their families or off the government, as that can’t be a good witness and must displease the Lord. No one who makes a living bludging off others can really have a good conscience about it.
Those who want to be “lousy flies” in churches are the ones who leave all the work to others and exist off the free will and Christian grace of believers. There is work to be done but these “flies” sit back and watch others do it, and take the benefits from it. In a team of 12 bullocks, if 11 pull the load and one is “free loading” then it puts extra strain on the others, and in churches, God’s willing ones have extra burdens.
What a practical this revelation is – {{2Thessalonians 3:10-12 “Even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone will not work, neither let him eat, for we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.”}}
Paul is definite about this working principle. He would not have stood for parasites. We should all know, this has nothing to do with people who are ill and disabled, physically and mentally, or who have lost their jobs, and those categories should be covered in Christian and church support. The verses apply to the “parasite”. Isn’t it true that those who are lazy and unwilling to work for their living, have time on their hands to mind other people’s business and interfere in the concern of others, and are trouble makers.
8. THERE IS SOMETHING STRANGE ABOUT YOU! The other day a dove turned up but it was not quite “right”. It appeared to be a bit of a mutant. It seemed to be a cross between a peaceful dove and some similar dove, but I can not find any “similar dove” in my specialised bird books. Its head is smaller, more elongated; bigger beak; not quite the feather patterning of the true peaceful dove. Around the eyes is darker, and eyes are bigger. Let’s say it is a mystery. It was shy at first and hung back and others tried to reject it, but it comes close to my feet readily now. The other doves squabbled with it a bit and now accept it, but it tries to fit in and can be pushy like the others. Maybe it is learning their habits. It has become one of the first to arrive so it is not as shy as others.
What can we understand by this? How do we react when someone comes among us whom we judge as a “bit strange “? Do we reject that person or ignore him or her, or do we go out of our way to accept those who are different? I have been to churches where social cliques operate, friendship groups, and if you are a stranger, you feel like a shag on a rock and some make you feel that way. This is not right when God’s people are one in the Lord. It is discrimination. There are places frequently in the world where nationality, skin colour, ethnic backgrounds, count against a person. Even now some churches have a discrimination against black, or Asian or white. This is unacceptable before God. People there feel uncomfortable with one another.
God created only one man, yes, only one, but with the inbuilt genetic diversity to expand into many variations. We see that in skin colour, eyes, facial features, hair, body shape and size. Why is it then that we want to discriminate by physical characteristics according to what our eyes see? God doesn’t, and neither must we.
The Ethiopian eunuch of Acts 8 was a black man. The Queen of Sheba herself was different. In the bible, among God’s people, there did not seem to be any judgement of others because of ethnicity or language or culture. What’s wrong with us? Why should it be so with us? {{Matthew 7:1-5 “Do not judge lest you be judged, for in the way you judge, you will be judged, and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you, and why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Matthew 25:35 “for I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave Me drink. I was a stranger and you invited Me in,”}}
9. WHAT UGLY LEGS AND FEET YOU HAVE! I have to say, that if it came to a beauty contest for feet, these doves would come in near the bottom. Their reddish legs are not attractive, scaly and wrinkled, with their trident-like feet running towards you, and just as unattractive. Doves have a smaller reverse foot as well. They come towards you with their legs going ten to the dozen and the feet splayed out. At the same time, with each step they take, the head bobs forward and back, so when they hurry along their heads go up and down with rapidity. If we tried that, maybe out heads would come off! There is one thing about their feet though – they really grip the ground with great stability.
Beware of picking flaws in others. Sometimes we might need to if it could affect the fellowship in serious matters like false teaching. We must endeavour to edify one another. One of the subtle sins is to judge according to financial position or status – (those ugly ones are the poor and smelly, and “not like us” with our well furnished homes and expensive cars.). Horrible pride! James had to deal with that – {{James 1:9-10 Let the brother of humble circumstances glory in his high position, and let the rich man glory in his humiliation because like flowering grass he will pass away, and this one that far too many people have dismissed from their lives – AND James 2:1-4 My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. If a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?}}
As far as that “ugliness” in us goes, remember what Paul wrote – {{1Corinthians 12:21-25 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary, and those members of the body, which we deem less honourable, (those with “ugly feet”) on these we bestow more abundant honour, and our unseemly members come to have more abundant seemliness, whereas our seemly members have no need of it. God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honour to that member which lacked, that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.}}
10. WHAT IS THAT HITTING AND BANGING NOISE? Two days ago before writing this originally, I heard a whacking noise on the back steps and went to investigate, only to find two male doves were having a real ding-dong of a dispute, and it was over a female. They faced each other then lunged forward with outstretched wings to meet with clashing wings much the same way as male deer do with their antlers. This is what created the bangs. I suppose it was a test to see which was stronger or which had the most endurance.
What application can we make for Christians? Christians can clash just like the doves, and I have heard of cases where they have come to blows. There is the clash of wills, and of ambition, which bring division and even hostility into churches. It is pride, is it not? The combatants persevere to see who is the stronger and they wear a medallion engraved with “Pride Rules Me”. Pride was Satan’s downfall, and is the downfall of many a Christian and churches.
As doves battle for mating with the female, so some Christians battle for their own prize. Again we go to James – {{James 4:1-3 “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives so that you may spend it on your pleasures.”}}
Listen Christians, do not battle against one another, but live in humility and truth, for you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapour that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Do not boast in your arrogance because all boasting is evil before God. {{Galatians 5:15 “but if you bite and devour one another, take care lest you be consumed by one another. Gal 5:16 I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”}}
11. Get away from me! I witnessed a most interesting thing today (the original composition). The male dove has a courting dance where he bows his head and chest downward and raises and spreads his tail with its inner border of white feathers, while at the same time cooing with up and down movements. I have only ever seen this done when trying to win over females. Today one male began courting another male and before long the other male attacked it quite fiercely and drove it off.
I thought, “How interesting!” Even nature knows.” Birds have no conscience or moral compass as human beings have, but even the humble doves know right from wrong, what is acceptable and unacceptable. They reject homosexuality. It is a pity that humans even in their depraved state don’t do the same. God has built into Nature His essence of decency. When Solomon said, “Go to the any you sluggard,” there was recognition that Nature has lessons for us.
12. READY, SET, GO! Only it is NOT ready, set, go. It is an instantaneous co-ordination. These doves are always on the alert, cautious and suspicious, and are easily spooked, and for some unknown reason, when something sets one off, in only a fraction of a second, they all suddenly flap the wings and are all away at a great pace. The reaction and speed are astounding. There is no considered thought or examination; it is instant reaction.
How can that apply to us? I am wondering about mob mentality. Can Christians be guilty of that? Yes, they can. What has happened to independent thinking, and why do we get on bandwagons? I find it most disturbing these days that too many of the church folk get into conspiracy theories as if they are immediately spooked about rumour or the latest trendy idea. Christians are to be sensible in thinking, moderate in behaviour and thought, and quick to think, and slow to react. We must examine all things carefully, not react suddenly to some idea that has spooked us. Don’t be like spooked doves in this regard, but rather be at peace in God and let the God of peace rule your heart. The Holy Spirit like a Dove will spread that peace in our lives.
That ends 12 observations relating to these peaceful doves. Indeed, they have lessons for us. Please keep in mind what they can teach us, and may we be willing to learn.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
