There is a legend about an elephant and a thrush. The elephant boasted that he could make himself heard the farthest in the great forest. The thrush was willing to accept the elephant’s challenge to a contest. With great confidence, the huge elephant raised his long trunk and sent forth a trumpet blast that nearly knocked the little bird off of her branch…and the sound resounded through the forest.
When the echo died down, the little brown thrush sang her song sweetly and quietly.
Judges then went into the forest to find out from the animals how far the contestants had been heard.
“Did you hear the elephant’s trumpet?” the judges asked.
“Yes,” came the answer, “very loudly.”
“Did you hear the thrush’s song?”
“Yes, but ever so quietly.”
On and on the judges went through the forest until they finally came to animals that had not heard the elephant.
“Did you hear the thrush?” asked the judges.
Again came the answer “Yes, but ever so quietly.”
So the judges declared the thrush the winner of the contest. “But how,” the judges asked, “could the thrush’s song be heard farther than the elephant’s mighty trumpet?”
The little thrush explained, “The thrush family has sentinels throughout the forest. When one sings, another takes up the song, so it passes along until it is carried everywhere.”
It makes me think that we too can take up the song of God’s love and goodness and pass it along in our homes, at work, at school, wherever we are and it will be carried along everywhere. God lives in You and through You. Take up the song.
Just something to think about.
Each month a member of the Cook County Ministerium will offer Spiritual Reflections. This week our contributor is Pastor EvaLyn Carlson of the First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ.
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