William Wise
[Originally published in September 2020 as Voices that Carry]
“…and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, and they took the city.” ~Joshua 6:20
It is political season in the United States. From now until November all the media outlets will be saturated with political ads as every advocate for every cause will be projecting their voices in an effort to be heard. Some days, I just have to pull away from all those voices and go for a birding walk.
But as a Christian, should I pull away? Should I remain silent?
As I stepped outdoors to get away, my attention was immediately drawn to a noisy bird circling overhead; his loud voice was carrying on the wind. One of the killdeer birds that normally darts around in our parking lot was flying high and shouting its name: Kill-deah! Kill-deah!!!
The voices of the other plovers are more pleasantly described as ‘a plaintive or musical whistle.’ But not the Killdeer, of which Peterson’s Field Guide gives a one-word description: “noisy.”
So, just like the political activists, the killdeer too wanted his voice to be heard! And perhaps I should take a lesson from the killdeer.
As Christians, in the interest of peace and harmony, do we remain quiet as the special interest groups shout aloud in support of their own, often unrighteous, causes? Do we let their voices carry louder than ours? The last time that happened, the outcome wasn’t so good.
And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. (Luke 23:23)
As the other voices carry along on the winds of social media, radio, and television, our Christian voices in support of righteousness should also be heard!
What if William Wilberforce and Abraham Lincoln had remained silent? Instead, they let their voices carry on the wind, like the vociferous killdeer, and changed our society!
This killdeer was exemplifying his boisterous description, and simultaneously living up to his species name: Charadrius vociferous. Vociferous is from the Latin, meaning “to shout, yell.” If you break it down, vox means “voice,” and ferre, means “to carry;” therefore, vociferous describes “voices that carry.” This aptly describes my little plover flying overhead!
