Which Animal Are You? - October 8
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 140, 142; PM Psalm 141, 143:1-11(12); 2 Kings 23:36-24:17; 1 Cor. 12:12-26; Matt. 9:27-34
Today’s Reflection
“Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot were to say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear were to say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body.” –1 Corinthians 12: 14-20
Yesterday afternoon there was a light-hearted, community feeling in the office. Thursdays we have a program planning meeting in the morning, and then staff are around the office the rest of the day trying to finish our weekday tasks before the weekend (since for many on our staff, the weekend is Friday and Saturday). After taking some tech stuff up to the Parish Hall, I was walking back into the office suite and wandered into a little impromptu gathering in one of my colleague’s offices—just co-workers enjoying conversation together on a stream-of-consciousness like array of topics.
Somehow, we jumped from talking about the upcoming Trunk or Treat to discussing what we each thought our ‘spirit animal’ is (admittedly, we weren’t meaning ‘spirit animal’ in the more authentic sense of the term as used by indigenous people, but rather in the more pop culture sense of the term). I think we got to this topic because I was sharing my idea for decorating a trunk this year, and how it coordinates with costumes my 13-year-old daughter and I have (you’ll have to come to the Trunk or Treat on October 27 to find out more!).
I won’t identify which colleagues were involved in this conversation but suffice it to say the diversity of our staff’s personalities and gifts are reflected in which animal we each thought best reflected who we are as people or that we feel some spiritual kinship with. One identifies with hummingbirds. Another identifies with blue herons. The third said orangutans! For me, ever since I was a young child, I’ve always felt a connection with the squirrels who populated the long-leaf pine trees in our backyard, busily leaving their mark on all the pinecones to get to the seeds deep inside.
When I mentioned that my animal is the squirrel, one person was surprised, believing that I am too focused to be like a squirrel! A good point! But I responded that it depends on how you see squirrels—I see them as always busy, getting things done, planning and preparing for the next season. Which if you know me, you know that this is pretty accurate. Squirrels are busy, but happily so. When I see squirrels roaming around the yard looking for nuts, hanging upside down on the feeder eating their fill of seeds, or chasing each other around the pecan trees, they seem happy and content. (It’s fall break, so a Friday reflection on squirrels seems appropriate to the season!)
If we were to ask each person on our staff which animal, they feel most kinship with, I bet each one would name a different one. And if we polled everyone around Saint Stephen’s, since there are so many people, we might find some who’d pick the same animal as one another, but I bet they would give very different reasons why.
All this diversity is such a blessing! As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, to function as the body of Christ, we need to have all the different body parts to make up a functioning body. If everyone was a hand or a foot or an eye, we wouldn’t be able to do all the things a body should do! Here’s how Paul put it: “But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body.”
I feel happy to work and worship alongside a hummingbird, a heron, and an orangutan—and all the other creatures our staff and parishioners feel that they are most like in some way! God has created us to be a diverse menagerie, bringing all manner of strengths and gifts and experiences into the life of our church habitat. Thanks be to God!
—Becky+
Questions for Self-Reflection
Have you ever thought of which animal best represents your temperament and traits? If so, which one? Why?
I once had a roommate who felt God’s peace and reassurance whenever she would see a hawk in the sky. Are there particular creatures that, when you see them in nature, remind you that is God is always with you?
Daily Challenge
Samford professor Will Kynes, Ph.D. gave a talk at Saint Stephen’s earlier this year on “A Biblical Theology of Diversiunity,” tracing God’s valuing of diversity throughout Holy Scripture. You can find it here on our Saint Stephen’s YouTube channel in our Christian Formation playlist.