Tip of My Iceberg

They’re called black-bellied whistling ducks, and they’re known for their bright red bills, pink feet, and white wing patches. They swarm around our pond in the backyard fairly frequently, and I’ve always loved their high-pitched whistling calls, which they always seem to do in unison. They mate for life, which might account for the fact that they’re always seen in groups. You know, couples hanging out together. And even though I’m not a birder, these feathered friends bring a smile to my face every time they show up.

A group of them recently landed on the soccer goal in our backyard. A gathering that I’ve not seen before. They sat there and whistled to their hearts’ content, seeming to enjoy one another’s company, in no hurry to leave the party.

It often seems that animals have more sense than people. They often travel and live in groups, each helping the other. For instance, when an elephant gives birth, all the females in the herd, such as aunts, sisters, and grandmothers, pitch in to help as nannies. They protect and assist one another. There is communal trumpeting at the birth of a baby elephant. Wolf packs are highly cooperative, and when pups are born, the entire pack helps raise them, even bringing the mother food as she regains her strength.

Collaboration and community; this is what we’ve been made for. Japanese author, Ryunosuke Satoro said it best: “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are the ocean.”

Sports reflect the value of working together; we had all our children in soccer to learn a team sport, not just for exercise, but also how to work together for a common goal. The late basketball player, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, once said, “One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team.”

We can’t allow personal problems to prevent us from working together. We’re all struggling with one thing or another; no one is perfect, no matter how many people they influence. Helen Keller, an American author, educator, and activist, became the first deaf/blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. Her courage helped her overcome her difficulties. She stated, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

Jesus understood the value of collaboration and working in groups. When He began His earthly ministry, He gathered around Him twelve men, most of whom were uneducated, not even close to being considered influential. But after three years of watching Him and working with Him, eleven of those men went on to impact the world with His gospel message of forgiveness and love.

The book of Acts is the history of the growth of the church in the years following Jesus’s ascension into heaven. Peter, who had shamed himself by denying Jesus three times the night before His crucifixion, boldly proclaimed what he knew to be true–that Jesus was the Son of God, the One who came to take away the sin of the world. He spoke to huge crowds, and many believed. “Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day–about 3,000 in all….And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had….all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.” Acts 2:41, 44, 47.

It sometimes seems challenging to connect with others, especially in our busy world, where remote means more than a workplace. But like the black-bellied whistling ducks, we should seek to be more intentional in being in community with one another. It will require work. As Henry Ford said, “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”