The Puffin Lesson
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There is a tiny, feathery animal that lives 8 months every year floating on the wintry, dark waters of the North Atlantic — alone. And where does it live the remaining 4 months of the year? In burrows dug out on high cliffs along the shoreline.
Everyday, for the past few weeks, my mind has considered the puffins of Iceland and the life they embrace. They are tiny inspirers. My chosen “influencers”. Perhaps one reason they were created was to be just that — an inspiration to us people.
To be an observer of creation, for me, is to be a seeker of the Creator. It’s an enchanting way to live. From mountains to rivers, oceans to sky, windstorms to snowfall, spring’s greens to the colors of autumn — when we pause to soak it in, we begin to approach the One who designed it.
Every emotion we might feel can be directly correlated to some aspect of creation. The calming motion of gentle waves on sandy shores, speaks of the steadiness of “life goes on, I AM with you, always”. The white puffs of clouds floating across peaceful blue skies whisper, “breathe, just breathe, I AM with you”. The strength of the wind whipping through the trees establishes, “you’re not in control, look to Me, I AM with you”. The wildness of a tornado or tidal wave or lava flow, speaks, “I AM more powerful than anything”. God established Himself as the great I AM to Moses (Exodus 3:14), and creation continues to declare it — if we will pause to see it.
The puffin is my current inspiration and my plate of humbleness. Without speaking, without one word from its colorful beak, it has leveled me in such good ways. The silent puffin brings me back to the “plumb line” of life. More accurately said,
God has used the gentle puffin to
bring me back to His plumb-line.
What is a plumb line? A plumb line is a string with a heavy weight attached to the end, used to find a perfectly straight vertical line using gravity.
How can a puffin be a plumb line? Well, for me, I am the string, and the puffin is the weight (the plumb bob). When I let the plumb bob slow me down from swinging back and forth in the rush of life, it gently brings me to a still place. It calms and centers me. In doing this, I can find a steadiness that connects me vertically — upward. Upward is always good.
Observing nature becomes a powerful, invisible, centering place — a “holy plumb line”. It wakes me up to something. It gets me “out of my own head” and helps me see MORE.
It silently speaks of matters more important than where my own thoughts are leading me.
Nature, created by God, is a wonderful balancing plumb line. For within nature, everything works in conjunction with all that surrounds it. Environmentalists focus on this delicate symbiotic relationship found in nature. Christians can find a wonderful symbiotic connection to all of nature as well, for our Father created it all, and He wastes nothing. Everything God has created has a purpose. God uses His creation to teach or inspire, correct or encourage; to bring his kids back to the plumb line with Him.
During a recent trip to Iceland, God said so much to my asking heart — He spoke loudly in the quiet of watching His puffins.
This tiny bird weighs about one pound and stands no more than 12 inches tall. Braving dark, cold, stormy waters for two-thirds of each year, it spends every winter at sea. It has no claws or sharp teeth. Nothing about this little creature is able to defend or protect itself.
The puffin does no harm, causes no commotion, damages nothing. It simply does what it was created to do. It mates monogamously for life, co-parenting faithfully one fledgling, called a puffling, each year. It n-e-v-e-r lives in a soft, comfortable, easy place. For four months it lives on cliff-sides. The waves that crash onto the rocks below their high cliff burrows threaten any human who dares to swim in them. And yet, the puffin flutters about with its adorable short wings, diving deep into the watery blackness to harvest fish for its one little “puff”.
The puffins we saw during our trip have now flown out to sea. They have raised their one puffling, taught it to fly, and headed out to sea. Alone. Amazingly, puffins are very social birds, and yet they live alone at sea for 8 months each year. In deep, dark waters. Where sharks and seals lurk. They float alone.
Can we just sit with that for a moment?
Alone. In deep, dark, wintry waters.
Where sharks and seals dine.
And yet the puffin is a “very social bird”.
Are you a very social “bird”? :)
Or does 8 months of quiet floating sound wonderful to you?
I’ll share that I use to be a much more social bird than I have now become. I love people…I just don’t like what people do to each other. It’s one reason I love Jesus so much — He gave His life to help us be better than we can possibly be on our own. But spending time with His wounded “birds” (people), those that the sharks and seals have tormented in dark waters, well it’s compelled me to be less social of a bird. I hope that makes sense.
And yet — given the option of floating alone in dark waters OR perching on a cliff with Steve (my guy puffin) and other birds who are busy doing their good work — where no bird is hurting other birds — I’d for sure choose that high cliff. Floating alone in dark waters is what nightmares are made of…to me.
The puffin brings an important plumb line to me.
It does what is needed, it lives well where it is found. It causes no trouble to its fellow puffins on the cliffs; it learns to live well when it is alone with itself. The puffling learns quickly what it needs to know, and the parents faithfully teach what is needed. At summer’s end they all fly out to sea, always in the dark of night.
The misses goes her way and the mister goes his. And the puffling they raised from egg to flyer, in 45 short days, goes its own way as well. Pufflings remain at sea continuously for two to three (and up to four or five) years before returning to land to breed. They live entirely on the open water during this multi-year period, learning to swim and dive for fish without ever touching land. Puffins can dive up to 200 feet deep into the waters. They only return to the coastal cliffs once they are fully mature adults ready to find a mate. Good grief, what a hard launch into life.
If we compare the puffins life to our human lives, if we incorporate its challenges and place them on us people… it’s mesmerizing to see the courageous bravery of this little one pound bird. They live up to 30 years, repeating year after year, high cliffs and dark waters — faithfully and beautifully.
Without a word they inspire me. How about you?
Puffins are not mentioned in the Bible. It’s likely that none of “the greats” we read of in the Word ever saw a puffin. But the Creator, our Father-God, saw value in making them, and He knew the assignment He was giving them. Is there a chance that perhaps HE wanted us to notice the silent, peaceful, faithful puffin and be inspired to be braver, stronger, more courageous and kind??
To be gentle and focused.
To accomplish what is ours to do.
To live with an enduring trust and steady, holy plumb line.
Puffins are never manipulative, conniving, jealous, or gossipy.
They are feather covered integrity.
They do well, what is theirs to do.
Whether anyone notices them or not.
They inspire…and the Creator, He surely smiles.
