Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
There is a great danger of painting with too wide a brush, of making sweeping statements that may not be true in all circumstances. Having said that, we also recognize the benefits we can receive from generalizations. To illustrate this, let’s start with a simple question. What species do we see illustrated here? Most would answer without hesitation, a chickadee, while those possessing a bit more information would add Black-capped Chickadee. The first response would be correct while the second would not. The reason for that is it is a Carolina Chickadee. The two species look so much alike that sometimes it is impossible to distinguish between the two.
For those interested in the differences a quick lesson will suffice. The Carolina is slightly smaller; it has slightly browner wings; its tail is slightly shorter; in general, it shows less contrast than seen in the Black-capped except its lower bib is more clearly defined. The operative word in this description is “slightly”. The differences are so subtle that even the birds themselves sometimes become confused resulting in hybrid offspring. Many suggest the best way to distinguish between the two species is by their call, but this can be confusing since the hybrids can learn the song of both parents. The joke is, if you see one in the North, it’s a Black-capped. If you see it in the South, it’s a Carolina.
And generally speaking, the rule holds true. But does it hold true for Christians? Can we be identified by the location where we are found? To answer that, let’s refer to a question posed by the prophet Amos. “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?” (Amos 3:3 ESV) Put another way, if you’ve agreed that following Christ is to be central to your life, wouldn’t you want to place yourself where others wanting the same thing could be found?