Noisy, chirping birds…

There is a Westfield shopping centre near my house, outside the shops around 4pm onwards there are hundreds (although it sounds like thousands) of noisy, chirping little birds. I don’t actually know what kind of bird they are, maybe a Noisy minor or something, but at times the sound they make is deafening! It is completely overpowering and it actually amazes me, the sound that can be made as they all chirp together.


This makes me think about my life, our lives. What do we sound like? Are we all making our own sounds, are there sounds of “too busy”, “selfishness”, “negativity”, “whinging”, “gossiping”, “moaning”, “groaning”, “more sacrifice required”…… I’m sitting here wondering about whether, altogether, in our own spheres of life and influence, we could unite our sound and become deafening. Not with the sounds mentioned above, but a sound of L O V E

1 Corinthians 13 says that if we speak in the tongues of men or of angels but do not have love, we are only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

What is love? What does it sound like? What does it look like? It’s patiently waiting in the shopping line and chatting and being friendly with those around us, maybe even paying for someone in the line… It’s being kind to others, even those who have hurt or disappointed us, kind with our words and our actions. It’s being happy for others when they succeed or get that Christmas present that we really wanted! It’s keeping our temper and emotions under control when trying to find a carpark during the silly season! It’s giving some of our loose change to the people collecting instead of walking straight past. It’s making the time to chat to our neighbours & invite them round for some Christmas nibbles! It’s protecting and nurturing those around us who are struggling right now. It’s sacrificial, it’s time consuming, it’s going to cost us something, it’s powerful, it’s amazing, it’s life changing! It’s showing a stranger in the street or the shops or our neighborhood that there is still hope in the world, there is still kindness in the world, there is still someone who cares, someone who is willing to L O V E

I also believe that it is about going beyond just doing or saying nice things, but also about taking that leap of love by sharing a quick word about the greatest love… Jesus’ love for humanity, for them.

I can hear it already… An army of hundreds of thousands all over the globe, living, sharing, acting with the most deafening, overpowering, beautiful sound of all… the sound of L O V E

1 John 3:16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters

J xx