Equipped and Empowered
God will] equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may be work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Hebrews 13:21 (NIV)
African grays have always been my favorite birds! They are so intelligent, and their vocabulary is extensive. When I lived in FL, African grays were quite popular. Often times they would escape their cages and become part of the wild. The only negative thing I could say against them is that they have a powerful bite, and they don’t want to let go easily. Peggy Frezon (All God’s Creatures) shares a lesson she learned from Toy.
*****
Toy was my great-grandmother’s African gray parrot. Although I’d never met Toy in person, I’d heard stories about him and seen pictures of him on his perch. He felt like one of the family.
Many parrots can repeat words, but Toy was extremely smart and had a strong personality. If you asked him “What does the little dog say?” Toy would respond with a soft, “Yip, yip, yip!” When asked, “What does the big dog say?” Toy would give out a loud, “Woof, woof!”
My great grandmother ran a boarding house, and Toy loved to play tricks on the boarders. Sometimes Toy would imitate sirens and yell, “Fire!” in order to watch the boarders flee from their rooms. Then he would laugh at his practical joke. If he was in his cage on the front porch and one of the men was sitting with him, Toy would whistle at the young ladies, walking by much to the young man’s embarrassment.
Toy exceeded the perceptions many people had of a pet parrot and demonstrated far more intelligence than they expected. As a teenager, hearing stories about Toy, I was inspired to never be held back by limitations others had for me. I wasn’t naturally athletic, but I tried out for sports in high school and made the team. My brothers had not attended college, but I wanted to, and not only got accepted but also earned several scholarships. I thought of Toy whenever I was facing a challenge, and it helped me believe in myself.
More important, I grew to know that God believed I could do great things. He equipped and empowered me to follow His call. Still does. If there is something God puts on my heart to achieve, I know he’ll give me what I need to see it through. After all, He put such a bold spirit in a lively parrot.
Loving Lord, thank You for equipping us for each day—even though we are not always aware of Your help. Teach us to trust in You and realize we have no limitations with Your help. AMEN.