by Carel Chan
Something fluttered next to my feet as I sat on the bench in the open arena of the city mall. It startled me a bit before I realized that it was only a pigeon. It did not seem to be affected by my presence like I was disturbed by it. It went around and came back to my line of sight as if hoping that I would give it a feed.
Pigeons are so domesticated and have colonized most of the habitat on this planet to a point where they are considered to be pests by many. Contrary to the not so popular perception of these birds, pigeons are one of the most intelligent bird creations. They have been used in ancient wartime as messengers and were known as war pigeons. These homecoming pigeons were trained to deliver important messages during wartime and had braved the most treacherous conditions to bring the one message that could save many lives. Relying on their photographic memory of landmarks, ability to navigate directions, and determination, these “war birds” traveled relentlessly to reach its designated landing place with the message. These “war heroes” had to face the risk of being shot down by enemies and the peril of unpredictable weather conditions to accomplish their mission.
Jonah in the Bible means “pigeon”. He was sent by God to deliver the message of repentance to the city of Nineveh, to the Assyrians. However, because of his prejudices and hatred towards the Assyrians, he chose to flee from the mission rather than to obey God’s will. To me, it is not coincidental that Jonah means “pigeon”. Pigeons are one of the most reliable messengers who will stop at nothing just to arrive at the designated destination with the message it is meant to deliver. God’s will for Jonah is to be that reliable and relentless messenger for Him to the people of Nineveh.
I believe God desires Jonah to go courageously, stay focused and be determined in obeying His will. Unfortunately, it turned out to be rather disappointing. Not only did Jonah rebelliously attempt to flee from his mission, his hard-heartedness and unwillingness to see the people of Nineveh saved were so intense that he would rather die than to witness them experiencing God’s mercy. Despite receiving mercy from God, Jonah did not display grace and compassion to those who needed mercy. We probably feel we are not like Jonah who exhibits such deep hatred or prejudices to any specific group of people. But the truth of the matter is when we choose to keep silent about the salvation message, we have turned away from God’s commission to preach the gospel.
We have received God’s saving grace and we must not forget that there are many who need to hear of His salvation message. Peter says in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord isn’t really slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” You and I have got work to do. We must not sit and wait for Christ to return, turning our eyes away from the field that is already white for harvest. We have got to get our sickles into the crops and start reaping for Christ before it is too late.
Whenever I see pigeons, I am reminded by the Lord that I am His messenger – one who is called to stop at nothing to bring His message of love to those who need to hear of it. To be honest, it is not always a breeze. In fact, many times, I hit the wall and was severely rebutted and criticized by those who vehemently opposed the gospel. But in such moments, 1 Corinthians 15:58 becomes my source of strength and helps me to remain on course.
“Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord [always doing your best and doing more than is needed]. Being continually aware that your labor [even to the point of exhaustion] in the Lord is not futile nor wasted [it is never without purpose].” – 1 Corinthians 15:58
In closing, I like to share with you a true event that happened to Cher Ami, who is the remarkable pigeon that became the greatest hero of World War I. The brave pigeon was hit in the chest soon after taking off from German’s ground to deliver a message back to base. Devastated, the American soldiers thought they had lost their last hope. To their surprise, Cher Ami though wounded, got up, took flight once again, charging head on into wave after wave of gunfire. Finally, the brave pigeon reached the American base heavily wounded. It lost an eye and one of its legs was barely intact when it touched down. Because of Cher Ami’s delivery, one hundred and ninety-four soldiers made it back to American lines (Worldwar1Centennial.org). These soldiers were saved because the pigeon was relentless.
I pray that we will be God’s courageous and relentless messengers. And each time when you see pigeons, let it be a reminder for you to be God’s trusted messenger and to be relentless in spreading the good news even in the face of obstacles. God wants each one of us to be that courageous voice for Him.
Visit our Sermon Series on “Christian Character”, for more inspirational messages on building Character that counts for God.