the birds helped me to pray

Today the birds helped me to pray.

My slowness to rise after my short six hour slumber was gently challenged by the relentlessly positive chorus of glad chirping from the other side of our bedroom window.

(The contrast between this happy throng and the pair of brutally barking dogs a few weeks earlier could not be overstated.)

They helped me pray my regular daily ‘Our Father’ at my dedicated place and prayer kneeler.

Our Father, who art in Heaven,

Yes, you are beyond this world, and also in it. You’re in the throat of those glorious birds.

Hallowed by Thy Name…

Yes, may we honour your name as freely and ornately as these simple creatures are.

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.

Yes, the celebratory proclamations of these winged friends is an earthly echo of angelic praise in the heavenly realm beyond our sensory comprehension.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Yes, you “feed the ravens when they call to you.” Feed us too, and may we not fight over the crumbs as these little friends are sometimes known to.

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Yes, these animals are not worried about anything. Childlike, they watch, explore, hop, flutter and gladly receive nourishment. They do not hold grudges, despair over the sad state of things. May I not miss such simple gratitude in the midst of all my serious political philosophy.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One.

Yes, it is only when I think of myself as more important, larger then others that my Ego is warped and wooed into wrongdoing, harming others, exaggerating how wrongly I’ve been treated. How dare they not recognise my greatness. The birds just do not care about such things. They are not so easily tempted.

For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Amen, help me live like a bird today. A happy citizen of your domain. A glad participant in your power. A humble reflection of your glory.