Christian Living

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The Lesson of the Parrot
By Dan Langerock

The story is told of a woman who bought a parrot to keep her
company, but she returned it the next day. "This bird doesn't talk,"
she told the owner. "Does he have a mirror in his cage?" he asked. "Parrots love
mirrors. They see their reflection and start a conversation." The woman
bought a mirror and left.

The next day she returned; the bird still wasn't talking. "How
about a ladder? Parrots love ladders. A happy parrot is a talkative
parrot." The woman bought a ladder and left. But the next day, she was back. "Does your parrot have a swing? No? Well, that's the problem. Once he starts swinging, he'll talk up a storm." The woman reluctantly bought a swing and left.

When she walked into the store the next day, her countenance had
changed. "The parrot died," she said. The pet store owner was shocked.
"I'm so sorry. Tell me, did he ever say anything?" he asked. "Yes, right before he died," the woman replied. "In a weak voice, he asked me, 'Don't they sell any food at that pet store?' "

This is a story you may have heard before, but have you thought about its meaning? We get so busy in our lives that we often forget what is most important. People tell us “This is most important!”. Advertisers tell us their products are the basis of what will make us happy. But, in the end, it is up to us to decide what is most important for us

God also tells us what He knows is the most important for us as a priority, but we don’t always listen to this aspect because the spiritual side of us can be so easily shoved aside and neglected or ignored. Jesus said, "The thing you should want most is God's kingdom and doing what God wants. Then all these other things you need will be given to you." (Matthew 6:33, NCV) Jesus didn't say you shouldn't want those other things, but this is what you should want "most". Take a moment to do a "priority check", and strive for what is *most* important today. Don't wait for the parrot to die!

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