A Lesson From an Albatross

Exodus 20:4 (NIV)

You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.

In 1991, the Japanese government sought a way to attract endangered albatrosses to the small Izu islands to breed and reproduce. The Yamashina Institute of Ornithology came up with the idea of placing some 100 wooden albatross decoys in the water to help attract the birds to the islands that are some 375 miles south of Tokyo.

The project for the most part worked well and the endangered birds have landed on the islands and breeding has increased.

But for Deko, a 5-year-old albatross, the experiment went awry. For two years he has been trying to woo what he believes to be the love of his life. He's built her fancy nests, fought off rival suitors, and spent countless days standing faithfully by her side. But his one-and-only is a man-made decoy -- and despite the blank stare and wooden personality, he didn't catch on.

Institute researcher Fumio Sato worries that Deko's infatuation with the decoy is keeping him from meeting a mate. "He seems to have no desire to date real birds," Sato observed.

The lesson we can learn from the albatross is too often people begin loving and idolizing things instead of having a relationship with the real God.

Dear Lord, thank You that you want to have a relationship with us. We pray that we would seek to know You more every day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Lessons From an Albatross

Ephesians 1:18-21 (NIV)

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

The albatross is an amazing bird. With a wingspan of 3 meters (9.6 feet), they are amongst the largest birds that soar the Heavens.

And soar they do. You see, with wings that big, they can't actually "fly". They rely on gusts of air to keep them off the ground, but once airborne, they can swoop along at speeds of 115 kph (70 mph). Because of this, the next time you decide to visit an albatross sanctuary, make sure you go on a windy day. Though it's pure ecstasy for albatross in the air, they are actually quite clumsy on the ground!

With such a wide wingspan, you would expect the albatross to be absolutely huge. And don't get me wrong, they do have large bodies. But in order for their wings to be able to lay along their backs, like those of most birds, they would need bodies at least 1.5 meters (5 feet) long, which would make them so heavy, they would have trouble staying airborne! So in order to help them manage their extensive wingspan, yet still have manageable-sized bodies, God created them with a unique feature: When on the ground, the outer half of the albatross' wing actually folds up under the inner half! Amazing! But as a result, when sitting on the ground, the albatross looks like nothing more impressive than a large gull.

Unfortunately, there are few in this world who can just "pop over and visit" an albatross sanctuary. The albatross is an endangered bird. Of the 21 species of albatross known, only two are not threatened with extinction. Your best bet for viewing these magnificent birds are the in the southern oceans between Antarctica and the southern parts of South America, Africa, and Australasia. Interestingly, these are areas of consistent wind, and remember: Without wind, the albatross cannot fly!

If you ever visited the  Royal Albatross Centre in Dunedin, New Zealand, you would be delighted to see the numerous birds floating around overhead. You would find out that not all the birds are albatross. You would learn that the vast majority of the flying birds were ordinary gulls. You would think it would be easy to see the difference in the birds when they were in the air, after all, what gull has a wingspan of 5 feet? But in all honesty, when you're just looking up at those little dots in the sky, it's pretty hard to judge wingspan!

Unless you were fortunate enough to see a gull and an albatross flying together, that is! Then the difference becomes obviously apparent!

As a Christian, it's sometimes hard to see any advantage in our lives over that of our non-Christian friends and co-workers. In fact, it may often seem like the lives of our non-Christian contacts are less restrictive and more fun than our own. In church we hear about "the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints" (Eph 1:18c). We read about the "incomparably great power for us who believe" (Eph. 1:19a). We see other Christians who obviously know "the hope to which He has called [them]" (Eph 1:18b), but in all honesty, we don't see these fruit in our own lives!

Could it be that we are like the albatross on a non-windy day, grounded by our human natures? Could it be that we are not filled with God's Spirit, that Heavenly "Wind"?

Remember, albatross are clumsy on the ground, but once they are caught up by a gust of wind, they unfold their wings and soar into the Heavens! The same is true for us! Once we experience the winds of God's Spirit, once we submit to that breeze of His presence, our spiritual wings will unfold and we will soar.

Dear Lord, help us not to keep our self-grounded but that we would let the Holy Spirit fill us so that we can soar for You in all that we do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.