Just as I was finishing reading the book of James today, several birds landed on our porch trying to get some cat food we had out. I shooed off the grackles but let the bluebird remain. Why did you do that?

When i read scriptures, i like to use my spiritual imagination to imagine the writers in the room with me having a conversation about what they wrote. I’ve gotten to meet most of the writers of the New Testament this way, and several prophets from the Old. I like to think of the writers as actual people, who are still talking about their spiritual passions.

I heard James say, why shun the crow and keep the beautiful blue bird? I had to be honest, the blue bird was simply more beautiful. So you judged the birds from outer appearance. This is what i was talking about when speaking of how we treat the rich and poor. How often we treat things and people by outer appearances, rather than judging by the heart. And living by what James called “the royal law”! And Jesus, my brother, always judged by the inner state to understand the outer actions of man. He judged by the heart. After feeling exposed for my real motives, I became once again amazed at His Ways. This is always the fruit of true conviction.

Once again the way of Jesus is an inversion—the unimpressive are the impressive; the poor are the rich. His subversive spirituality, which looks at the inner state to judge the outer.

Isn’t our true spirituality worked out in these daily actions of which birds we shun and why? Glad to be convicted today, that I was giving preference for the wrong reasons. In the end, i waved them all away, so my cats could eat. But it’s the little lessons in life, which incarnate our faith. We have to watch our inner motive when shooing off the crows, but honoring the blue bird.