We’ve all had the sad experience of seeing an injured animal on the side of the road. Deer. Possums. Raccoons. I was reading recently that Travelers in the UK discovered a more surprising sight on the side of the higway… an exotic yellow bird of unknown species. Rescuing the bird with help from a local wildlife hospital, they soon had the bird in experienced hands to care for its injuries. Speculating over its origin, its species, and its beautiful coloring, the bird-rescuers were shocked to hear the verdict from the veterinarian. Their exotic bird was a seagull covered in curry powder! Things aren’t always what they seem to be.
Of course, the only difference between a “plain” bird and an “exotic” one is our own expectation. A curry-covered seagull would be a very unusual sight here in Ohio, while the fancy, colorful birds in zoos and pet shops are perfectly normal in their own home habitat. Fitting in and feeling like you fit in can be a challenge though. Among other reasons, imposter syndrome is a very real thing! I experience it regularly! It’s easy to look at ourselves as if we are seagulls covered in curry, masquerading as something much more exciting and important. But let’s be honest, a graceful, solid seagull is a good thing to be. It’s more than enough. And so are we. Peter reminds us of our worth, and our task, in 1 Peter 2:9-10 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
Every day the world may tell us we aren’t good enough, aren’t smart enough… that we aren’t a beautiful, exotic bird… that we are a disappointment. The person in the mirror may even be the one saying these things. Like Moses, like Gideon, like so many of the Bible characters we might admire, we will find, with God’s help, we are more than enough. There’s a reason seagulls live all over the world… And a bit of curry powder doesn’t hurt, either!
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. – Joshua 1:9
James D. Mayo 