THE LAUGHING BIRD
By Christy Lowman
Burke County
Phew, the last few months have been hard on our family. Our vehicles have needed repair several times. Our basement refrigerator stopped working suddenly and followed by our three-year-old kitchen refrigerator gasping its last breath. Then our two-year-old dishwasher stopped mid-cycle.
Then while we were at the store picking out a new refrigerator, someone ran over our beloved cat, Thomas. Our hearts were shattered. He was a very special cat, a one-of-a-kind.
Thomas was loved by all who knew him, especially our pup, Dug. They were best friends from the time they met. Dug still looks and calls for him every day.
All of our neighbors knew Thomas as well. He made a special point to visit and love on each of them every day.
We all go through hard times and grief from death. Have you had something sad or stressful happen in your life? Maybe you have been bullied at school? Had a family member died? Had someone you thought was a friend decide they no longer liked you?
The main thing I try to remind myself when I’m going through hard times are:
- No matter what, do not let the Devil steal your JOY. This can be very hard to keep from happening especially when death is involved. But we don’t want to let the Devil win; this is what he longs to do. He wants to make us miserable. He wants to cause something to get between us and God which will ultimately spoil our relationship with Him.
- Praise God in the good times and the bad times. God is so worthy of praise no matter what. It’s not right to only praise Him when our life is going well.
- God is always with us no matter what we are going through. He will help us through everything and will not give us more than we can handle.
- Things could always be worse. For example, I could not have a way to replace my refrigerator. Thomas could have been killed in a different, more painful way instead of instantly where he did not suffer. Or he could have died and we could have never found him, or known what happened to him. We could still be searching for him, worried sick.
- There is always someone who is going through something harder, sadder, worse, or more stressful. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine someone having a harder time in life, but every time I have stopped, looked around, and taken my focus off of me, I find someone who is having a harder time than I am. Someone who needs prayer and support as well.
If you haven’t read the Book of Job in the Bible, you should make a point to do so. The devil did terrible things to Job to see if he would turn against God. But no matter what was thrown his way he would not do so! He is the perfect example for us to strive to live our life by.
I want to tell you about a bird that wakes up every morning very early laughing his head off. That is also how he ends his day when it gets dark.
He is the perfect reminder of how to not let the devil steal your Joy!
This bird is called the Laughing Kookaburra! It was also once called the Giant Kingfisher and sometimes still known as the Bushman’s Alarm clock.
The laughing kookaburra is native to Australia. In the 2000 Olympics that were held in Sydney, Australia, this bird was one of their three mascots.
This Kookaburra, when full size, is seventeen inches long, and that includes its super long four-inch beak!
This bird is gray, with various shades of brown, and white. It is pretty ordinary-looking compared to other Kookaburras.
It belongs to the Kingfisher family and is the largest member. However, unlike Kingfishers, it hardly ever eats fish. Instead, its diet includes reptiles, venous snakes, rodents, and frogs. It is also known to kill baby ducks and chickens.
People who have seen this Kookaburra in action, say it will grab a three-foot, venomous snake by the back of the head and smash it on the ground to kill it. It will then carry the snake way up in the air and drop it to make its meat more tender. The Kookaburra will tenderize all of its prey before eating it.
Baby Kookaburras are given small venomous snakes to practice with so they can learn how to kill their prey.
I am thinking everyone needs a Kookaburra in their yard to keep snakes away!
If you would like to see and hear a Laughing Kookaburra laugh, check out this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8zE0BilgVo
Personally, I think the Laughing Kookaburra sounds like a monkey, but one thing is for sure it is happy and its laugh is contagious! I want to learn to be that way every day as well!
Dear Lord, please help us learn to find joy in our life no matter what we are going through. Help us grow closer to you in all circumstances, even the ones the devil tries to use to separate us. Help us remember You are worthy of praise in the good and bad times. I pray we will learn to take the focus off of ourselves and to look for others that are hurting that we can minister to. In Jesus’s name, I pray, Amen.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13 ESV “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” John 16:22 ESV
Bibliography
https://www.britannica.com/animal/kookaburra
https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/laughing-kookaburra
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Christy Lowman is a Christian author and illustrator that lives in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains with her husband and two children. She enjoys writing and illustrating books for all ages. Some of her short stories are published with Guideposts and HCI. Christy gives all the glory to God in everything she does. A portion of every book sold from the Small Bible Character Series will be donated to battle human trafficking. If you enjoy her books, “like’ her author page on Facebook and let her know! You can buy her books at //www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AChristy+Lowman&s=relevancerank&text=Christy+Lowman&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1. You can reach her at //www.facebook.com/authorChristyLowman/
or christyssoaps@yahoo.com
You can read more Christian news from Christy here.
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