Reflections by the Pond
June 4, 2003

Turkeys

The faded and worn candles that were hauled out for centerpieces every Thanksgiving during my childhood did not at all prepare me for the sight of a real tom turkey. The brown waxy figure with comical pilgrim hat cocked at a jaunty angle bore small resemblance to the strutting, overly inflated males that every spring court the females with their display.

From a distance the two sexes of the wild turkey are difficult to tell apart. They both share a similar shape--thick in the middle and tapered at each end--and both have seemingly naked, vulture-like heads. Closer inspection reveals that the tom is larger by a few pounds, and has some extra flesh hanging off his neck and chin. But at a glance, they appear quite similar--until, that is, the male goes into his act.

There is something rather remarkable about the sight of a tom turkey in full ruffle as he does his best to impress the ladies. From his female-like bullet shape he inflates to a fat box shape more than twice his normal size. His tail feathers fan out, his face reddens, and his torso puffs out to dramatic proportions. He struts about, placing himself repeatedly before the women of his interest, shivering and quaking with testosterone-induced excitement. Everything about him screams, "Look at me! Aren't I grand! Aren't I the most wonderful thing you have ever seen?" Meanwhile, of course, the objects of his desire blithely go about their foraging, giving him little more than a disdainful sniff.

"The arrogance of your heart has deceived you,
You who live in the clefts of the rock,
In the loftiness of your dwelling place,
Who say in your heart,
'Who will bring me down to earth?'
Though you build high like the eagle,
Though you set your nest among the stars,
From there I will bring you down," declares the Lord.
Obadiah 1:3-4 nasbu

There is something rather sad and pitiable about the human version of the tom turkey's display. We can forgive the beasts of the field their seasonal arrogance, for they are motivated more by raw instinct than by guile or design. In the spring of the year the tom does what he does because he has a blind, instinctive, insatiable desire to continue his line. But such naked pride is less easily forgiven in the human, for in them it is more often the product of conceit, plottings, or a brutal disregard for others.

And such displays are not limited to the brazen children of the unsaved world, but can be just as prolific within the stuccoed walls of the church. Indeed, no finer specimens of arrogance and pride can be found anywhere than those typically displayed in the common church business meeting.

Man seeking only to glorify self is a sorry display. Though less extravagant, like the puffed up tom, he invariably comes up empty, accomplishing little more than making a fool of himself.

"Behold, as for the proud one,
His soul is not right within him;
But the righteous will live by his faith."
Habakkuk 2:4 nasbu

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Reflections file: pond0374.txt