JRR Tolkien's Knocking Thrush
GOD'S CREATION KNOCKS UPON OUR HEARTS
Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him..."
© Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 19949590 - Hermit Thrush; Clarke County, Georgia. January 27, 2019.
On a cloudy Sunday afternoon between church services, I was able to enjoy some birding next to my backyard fire pit. Along with a cup of coffee, it was a nice afternoon of journaling and photography. After several hours of the usual birds, I was delighted by the soft appearance of a dainty Hermit Thrush scraping in the leaf litter not far from my chair.
As soon as that thrush appeared, there was something in my heart that lifted; a subtle spark of joy or excitement. Where does this spark of joy come from? If we are just the products of random chance and evolution, and the other organisms on this planet are just rivals in this game called “survival of the fittest”, shouldn’t I just have stomped on him as an inferior competitor in the food chain? There must be something more to it.
“Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun... will shine upon the key-hole.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
In JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit, the knocking thrush was a sign to party of dwarves that marked the key hole to the entrance of their lost homeland. Just like Tolkien’s thrush, this world and its amazing creatures knock upon our hearts and unlock the knowledge of our Creator, Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 1:20 that creation reveals God’s eternal power and godhead. If we choose not to ignore our hearts, the wonder and design of this universe lead our minds to God.
How does all this explain that spark? Well, in Revelation 4:11, John tells us that all things were created by Jesus Christ and for His "pleasure they are and were created". God finds pleasure in His creation! And being made in His image, God has placed within us a similar pleasure that we find in creation. Hence the subtle leap of joy upon seeing even a simple Hermit Thrush!
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Cool message! For some ecological context, the Song Thrush from Europe eats garden snails by banging their shells against a stone to reach their flesh. Really interesting behaviour that I haven't heard about from any other species.
Actually the Hobbit is one of my favorite books, other than the Bible of course.
@upupa-epops That's a cool bit of info. I didn't realize the snail-knocking thrush wasn't fictional! I should have known. Tolkien has such attention to detail. @islandwildlifespotters LORT, Hobbit, Silmarillion also my favorites, (next to the Bible, of course!)
Wow. I A
actually finished reading lotr recently.
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