Why Galahs?

 

For anyone who may not know, a Galah is a very common Australian bird, they flock together in their hundreds across the farming lands and are not very popular with most farmers because they are grain eaters, and when the crops are emerging they spend their day pulling out the young seedlings and eating the seed. At harvest time they gather around the edge of the crop, nip the plants off and eat the grain. Peacocks are somewhat different as they are not Australian natives and are just kept for their beauty so there aren’t many of them in our country. Blue wrens are truly beautiful Australians (although tiny), and as they eat insects everybody is happy to see them. (My Granddaughter drew this one, isn’t it lovely?) Emus are also true Australians, there are thousands of them and they can be a nuisance on the crops too as they like to eat grain, but usually pick natural herbage and berries. The ones pictured here, were wild ones being fed by my wife on a property near Gilgandra. Aboriginal people appreciated emus as a source of food. Can you imagine, a “Kentucky Fried Emu” drumstick? and they also provided a lot of eggs in the Spring time. Well that seems to justify Peacocks, Wrens and Emus, but what about our pet Galah. He used to sit on Audrey head and pull out the “Bobby” pins which was not a very helpful habit. We had a farm and when he saw us returning from town in the car he would fly to meet us a half kilometre from home and ride home on the bonnet. He would “help” Audrey hang the washing too, by removing the pegs, which wasn’t really much assistance either if you were trying to hang wet clothes. But then, after all, who’s perfect?

So much for our bird. We loved him and I really think God made galahs (like many other things), just for our enjoyment, because although we, (here in Australia), have a tendency to take them for granted, they are really very beautiful and have a sense of humour. They would slide down the roof of our house just for fun, time after time saying “Yak, Yak, Yak” all the while, and when they reached the guttering would fly back up and slide down again.

 What can we learn from them then? Well, for starters, be happy and friendly to others, and if you are a “galah” don’t try and be an “Emu” or worry that you are not a “Peacock” or a “Blue Wren”. God designed you to be what you are and also to be His friend, so love Him and love your neighbour as you love yourself, by endeavouring to do all the good you can, to all the people you can, in all the ways you can, as often as you can.  Incidentally, as we have frequently committed sins that were worse than the equivalent of removing Pegs and Bobby pins and plants, we need to ask our Heavenly Father for the forgiveness earned for us by Jesus, and thus receive a “Passport” to Eternal life in Heaven.

Interestingly, Jesus is actually recorded (in Matthew chapter 6 and verses 26, 33 & 34), as saying that we could learn a lot from birds, when He said “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?.... But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”  

God bless you as you “Cast all your care upon Him because He cares for you”. And as He said “You are more value” (to Him) “than birds are”, that is a terrific compliment when you consider the effort He went to, in order to design those birds on the previous page. Therefore, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not to your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3 verse 6).  You know, that is a very good deal.      Best wishes,  Tom.