Springtime is in the air. The winter silence has burned off, and the days are filled with sweet melodies of bird calls. Bird calls break before dawn at my house to tickle my ears and put a smile across my face. For several weeks my attention to the sound notes and variety in bird calls has allured me to ponder how this impacts my life in springtime.

When I researched for a few minutes about bird calls, I learned there are over 10,000 different bird species with unique calls and specific regional dialect. Who knew? The small sample size I enjoy amazes me. A mourning dove’s call is low, deep from the throat.  A red-bellied woodpecker’s simple call is my favorite and one of the easiest I identify on walks. There are bird calls that are drawn out while others are rapid fire. In full honesty, I will admit there is one bird call I hear that sounds like a very chatty Cathy at her post giving a play by play of the day. The different varieties absolutely amaze me, but do you know what really has my attention? Every bird embraces its unique call that God designed specifically for them. Birds do not complain or compare their call with another. The American crow does not hold back because its squawk sounds different from a cardinal. The blue jay is not looking at how to change its call to sound more harmonious like a Carolina wren. The chipping sparrow belts its call with pride that sounds like pecking a typewriter at impeccable speed. Each time a bird sounds its call they point back to their creator, God. He is the one that created melodies specific to each 10,000 bird species. The bird calls are unique identifiers.

Also, what amazes me is what birds do with their calling. Are they silent? Absolutely not. The sounds of springtime remind me that birds belt out their call with gusto. It is a beautiful reminder. While I am on a walk or sitting outside on my patio, bird calls grab my attention to pause and look for the bird. Sometimes the bird call is from a cardinal tucked into a crate myrtle. The bright red helps to spot him quickly. Other times I easily find a mockingbird at the top of an oak tree or perched on a power line. From observation, I am learning the primary purpose of bird calls are not meant to be seen but to sound off with confidence.

The loud bird calls that sound off during a regular Saturday encourages me in new ways this springtime. My mind thinks about what sound God has put inside of me. Like a bird call, God places a unique call or voice inside you and me too. And what is the purpose of that call? Point back to our creator, God. How? We sound our call with gusto. We lean into it. We do not compare or try to change it. Sometimes our call requires being on a stage or leading others, but a lot of times our call is to be faithful in the ordinary, unseen moments like a cardinal hidden in a crate myrtle. The danger I have seen in my life is that I hold back from living in my call because I spend too much time comparing it to the call of someone next to me that sounds better, or so I convince myself to believe. I like the blue jay and red-bellied woodpecker because their calls remind me to belt it out, fully owning my call with confidence. God places a unique call in each of us to work together. This is a beautiful reminder. What would your community look like if you chose to lean into your call and not complain about it? How would your life change, for the better, to own your call with confidence even on days when you feel like a squawking crow?

My springtime has new meaning as I continue to ponder these things. When you and I embrace our unique call, I think it sounds like sweet melodies to God. I want to be part of that. My hope is you find the call God designed specifically for you and share it with the world.