Reflections by the Pond
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Looking at Ourselves |
This year, for the first time, I put up one of the small wren houses in the front, very near our house and close to bedroom windows. For years I have positioned the wren houses in the back, distributing them widely, since male wrens prefer a little territory. But this year I thought Mom would appreciate the songs and antics of a wren family, so I hung the last one near her bedroom window. The attentive reader knows that I have written often of these diminutive, charismatic birds. Though barely larger than a hummingbird, they have a loud, melodious song that can be heard above all the rest; though small, they are fearless, and do not hesitate to do battle with birds--or even mammals--many times their size. But this year we have observed a new behavior from our tiny friends. The male wren that has claimed the house in the front has discovered my bathroom window. The light on this north side of our house casts the front yard and field in sunlight, while leaving the window in shade--transforming it into an effective mirror. One of the wren's favorite pastimes is to perch upon the railing and repeatedly attempt to establish a relationship with his own reflection. He will flutter and vibrate, beating the air with his tiny wings, and sing his heart out in expressions of either friendship or romance. (Since they seem otherwise intelligent, I'm guessing the wren knows it's not a female in the glass.) In his excitement the wren will even fly against the glass, risking injury to make contact with the illusive image of only himself. What is charming or even comical behavior in a wren is only sad in a human being, for the human knows he is gazing only at himself. The wren's behavior may be attributed to confusion or delusion, but the human's can only be narcissism. The wren caught dancing before his own reflection is amusing, but the man who preens before his is only a fool. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. The wren pursues himself out of ignorance, but man pursues himself by choice. Man lifts his gaze no higher than himself, thus missing all together the image of his Creator. Were the wren to simply turn around and compare the sunlit trees and field to the darkened image with which he is besot, he would realize his mistake. Were man to pry his gaze from himself, to lift his gaze up to the One who gave him life, the comparison would be painful, but enlightening. Sadly, fallen man knows from the evidence all about him that there is One greater than himself, but it is in his nature to pursue, instead, the darkened image of his own lost self.
"Lift up your eyes to the sky, |
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