The Swan in the Swamp
I was leaving a meeting at my church on Saturday when I noticed an all-too-familiar sight. I noticed the pearly white swan that seems to have made his home in the swampy creek bed next to our church.
Yes… On any given Sunday, if you stare into that swampy, smelly, dirty, green creek bed for any amount of time, you can see it… A gorgeous white swan, swimming, walking, playing, eating (ewwwww), and just plain waddling around in the marshy swamp. But, for some reason, this day… it called out to me. (Figuratively of course) I stopped and stared and wondered.
“Hey Bird,
WHAT THE HECK are YOU doing over there?
You are better than THIS! Why would be waddling around in filth? You should be soaring. You should be LIVING. You are too beautiful to be in such and ugly place.”
I literally wanted to yell out to it. I wanted to shew it and (in my mind anyway) protect it from the creatures that surely ‘belonged’ in a swamp such as this.
I pulled my phone out and snapped a couple of pictures before doing what I knew was right in my heart. ;-) I shook a tree and made the beautiful bird fly away. It didn’t even look twice before spreading it’s gapping wings and flying away.
But, before I could walk away, patting myself on the back, feeling proud to have done something good for the bird, I thought…
Now there is NOTHING BEAUTIFUL in this place. Now, there is no reason to even set your gaze over in that direction. The beauty that was the glowing focal point of the swamp was now gone.
This brought two questions to mind…
How many times have you been in a place that was ugly? A place where you didn’t fit? A place where you knew you didn’t belong? And what was the catalyst that made you get up and get out?
OR
Are you still there??? Are you the only thing beautiful on your job, in your class, in your circle of friends… Are you the only light left in a dark relationship? And what happens when your light runs out???
Talk to me!
PD
Indeed Donte. What we would call ugly is all around us. That ugly area to me is sin and disappointment and so on. The great thing is that GOD loves us there in that place because there is always something to learn or someone to help. To me that can also be the chaos and we know that is where GOD works. You know the saying theres a silver lining with every bad thing that happens. Even though you thought that beautiful bird was in an ugly place that is his work area to bring beauty in anywhere and for him to also eat and gain food for its self or family.
There is always something to learn or to provide in that “ugly” place. I lover how GOD works
January 17, 2013 at 1:53 PM
For years we have had the honor of that bird. Like you I didn’t understand his/her presents but was happy to see it year after year. Somehow the swan knows its place and even when it is disturbed it remains faithful to the beauty it has found and the ugliness we see. This brings to mind the beauty of salvation in a dark world. I still don’t understand it fully but I thank The Lord for His presents. Thanks for sending!
Bishop Brent M. Bryant
Redeeming Grace Christian Church
January 17, 2013 at 6:14 PM
Good Morning My Brother Pastor Banks,
Swan Chaser As I read Your Article I Could not evade the thought of why that White lovely Bird would be in a place like that dirty old swamp, perhaps he was taken a moment to get away from the cares of the world and decided that this would be the only place no one would look for him, or perhaps he wanted to see what fealty is like because he never had experienced it before what ever the reason we go to places that we know we should n’t be I know God knows.
I appreciate you sharing that article and information now I see things in a different perspective just like that Swan you saw Sunday again thanks.
Deacon C. Kelley
January 17, 2013 at 6:16 PM
Beautiful…
Thank you guys sooo much! That is why I asked multiple questions at the end. There are some of us… Who CHOOSE not to fly. Who choose to live and wallow in the ugliness.
Something has to be said for that as well. We have to know when we belong somewhere and when we DO NOT belong there. We have to be able to decide when I am not affecting my environment. It is affecting me!
January 17, 2013 at 8:06 PM