Stork Song

Carry each other's burdens. ~ Galatians 6:2

I've heard many pastors use storks as an example to us as to how we should live life together: by caring for each other and carrying one another's burdens.  There are many interesting things about storks, such as their nesting habits--the way stork mothers take care of their stork babies--and the fact that storks are mute, but use bill-clattering as their way of communicating with each other.  However, it was their flight habits that most of the stories I've heard centered around.  It's said that storks fly in flocks, as most birds do, but the thing that makes storks stand out is the way they take care of each other in flight.

These birds are flying several hundred miles together.  Because storks spend a lot of time gliding, if one stork is injured, it can rest its wing on some of the others and still be able to travel with the rest of the flock.  There's another unique quality to storks and it's in the way they take care of their sick and hurting.  If one stork falls away from the flock, two other storks will also leave the flock--allowing the rest of the flock to move on--and go to be with the stork who fell away.  They will remain with that stork until he either recovers and the three can rejoin another flock, or until he dies and then the pair will rejoin another flock.

There are a lot of hurting people in our world right now, and I don't just mean those you've never seen the faces of, but those you see everyday, whom you know and talk to quite often.  When we see people hurting around us, do we act like storks, offering to take them a meal, to pray with them, to hold them when they cry, to stand with them until they recover?  Or do we just keep walking, thinking someone else has got it?  Perhaps we offer words like, "Call if you need anything," and somehow feel put-out when they don't call, or say the words, but just keep moving on with our busy lives and packed schedules.

In a family or tribe or flock of people, we need to take the time to listen to one another, love on one another in a personal way, with a personal touch.  We are all busy, living our packed schedules, but perhaps there's something we can learn from a flock of storks.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers. ~ Galatians 6:10