Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Robert Howson
Tuesday and Wednesday, October 27 and 28, 2026
Complexity is not the same as contradiction. What makes a subject appear contradictory may simply be that we see only a fraction or a small part of the whole. The Varied Thrush might be viewed in this light. Strictly a West Coast bird, this shy species makes its home in the damp coniferous forests from Alaska to California. At first glance it appears quite similar to its cousin the American Robin, but is shyer. Yet, during the winter months it may visit our backyard lawns in search of earthworms or even come to feeders when food is scattered on the ground. Louis Agassiz Fuertes described its minor-key song as “the voice of the cool, dark peaceful solitude which the bird chooses for its home.” But even there, one described its song as “sounds without a source”, an ethereal hint as to its existence.
And that existence, as previously mentioned, is limited to the West Coast. Yet, this homebody, is also a wanderer, and has been recorded in every U.S. state except Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, and Hawaii. Such is the paradox of life.
This same apparent contradiction of terms is also found throughout Scripture. For example, Jesus stated “I did not come to judge the world” (John 12:47) and yet earlier in the same book He is reported to have said “For judgment I have come into this world.” (John 9:39) Another example is found in the book of Matthew which records Jesus as saying “The way is hard that leads to life.” (Matthew 7:14) Yet, in Matthew 11:30 He states: “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” So, how do we reconcile this apparent conflict? The simple answer is, the same way we resolve the inconsistency of the thrush’s life. We simply recognize that life, be it the bird’s or our own, is more complex than just a few glimpses through a knothole. And the same is true of the way we read the Bible. Even John Newton chose to leave us with a paradoxical view of the gift of grace when he wrote: “’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved.” Still, we are blessed to see at least parts of the whole.