That's a Weird Looking Seagull!

As I was sitting in my backyard talking to my sister on the phone, I noticed this very large grey bird flying above me and I thought “that’s a weird looking seagull.” Suddenly the reality of what this bird was struck me. I gasped out loud and yelled into the phone, “it’s a Great Blue Heron!!!”

For me, seeing a Great Blue Heron close to my house is not a common thing. I live in a very urban setting. Less than 100 metres from my home is a seven lane road; a highway more like it. I do not live in a pastoral setting, in fact I get excited when a squirrel visits my yard. So seeing this wonderful bird in flight over my head was something to squeal about.

I have long been enamoured with the heron. Once upon a time, someone told me that the heron is a symbol of Christ. I can’t really remember why, maybe because it appears to walk on water. Even now, though, whenever I see a heron I think about Jesus. So, when this beautiful bird flew over my head in my urban setting, deep within my soul, I thought, “Wow! Wonderful! It’s a miracle! There’s Jesus!”

Here, once again, is an example of how God breaks into the ordinary; where God flies over my head in the shape of a beautiful Blue Heron and causes a moment of awe in my life.

Sometimes, I lose my breath at the great beauty that God has given us, don’t you? God is everywhere, in every beautifully created thing and all we have to do is open our eyes. Of course, God is always with us, but sometimes God breaks into our lives when we least expect it. One normal, ordinary day, you’ll be talking to your sister on the phone in your back yard and look up and think “that’s a weird looking seagull.” Nope, that’s God, reminding us how blessed we are to be part of God’s great creation.

Rev. Nadine Nicholds