It was a beautiful spring day. I loaded the little ones into the stroller and headed up the road. As we topped the hill, I decided to stop and visit with a friend. We approached her front door, and I heard what seemed to be her voice cheerfully saying, “Well, hello!” I waited for the door to open … nothing.
“Well, hello!” I heard once more.
“Good morning?” I called out – making sure to be heard. “We were just walking and …”
“Praise Jesus! … O Lord, do have mercy on us. … Praise Jesus! Glory!”
At this point, I felt as though we might have come at a bad time. I wasn’t comfortable posing as some sort of peeping-tom-eaves-drip-intruder during a sister’s devotion!
Just as we were turning to leave, my elderly friend came around the outside of her house from the side yard and greeted us. I looked at her, then at the front door, and then again at her. Not knowing whether to be amazed or frightened by her seeming ability to be two places at once. My thoughts were interrupted by the voice calling out again, “Well, hello!”
My dear friend rescued me from my confusion as she giggled, “Oh, that’s my parrot. He’s saying hello.”
“It sounds exactly like your voice!” I marveled.
“Yes, I know,” she replied. “He gave the delivery man fits last week. After I signed the receipt and closed the door, my bird just kept screaming, ‘Bah-bye! Bah-bye!’. That poor fella stopped every two steps to turn around and wave goodbye again!” She cackled at the memory.
We continued to chat as we made our way indoors. The kids loved seeing the enormous birdcage and hearing its very verbal tenant. “Pretty bird!” the parrot pronounced. In a playful reversal of roles, my kids squawked back, “Pretty bird!” My friend and I sipped some lemonade and caught up on all her recent gardening adventures. I soaked up her wisdom, slurped the last of my drink, and told the kids it was time to go.
We hugged our goodbyes and headed back out to the stroller. As I fastened the straps, my friend waved her weathered arm and wished, “Bah-bye!” I could already hear that silly bird with an identical voice bellowing, “Bah-bye! Bah-bye!”
We left her driveway and headed home. I kept shaking my head and smiling as I remembered my friend and her bird. What a testimony of Ephesians 4:29! “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
That bird had enthusiastic praise sputtering out of its mouth. It was merely repeating the overflow of its owner’s heart. Greetings, well-wishes, and lots of Godly praise. I am ashamed to imagine the vocabulary of a strategically placed parrot in my home. All the critique and commentary that so often spew forth from my mouth would be exploited by a mimicking pet.
I do a decent job editing for church and company … but in the comfort of my own home? Do my words and tones of voice edify others and glorify God? A lot of the time, yes. But very often, my utterances are less than exemplary. I know this, because I’ve heard my own little parrots – these children I’ve born, with whom I live and breathe and speak every day. They can be heard huffing at one another with impatience. They bicker with one another without kindness or restraint. Sadly, they probably heard it first from me. I wonder if I possess comparable power to affect their words positively.
If I concentrated on filling my heart with Truth and focusing my mind on good things, would the overflow of my heart bring healing to those around? Would my little ones emulate my attitudes of praise? In the comfort of my own home, I must work toward consistently benefiting those who listen.
