Good morning. I will admit to you that I have always been somewhat fascinated by one of God’s more “unusual” creatures. I am speaking of the ostrich. I guess that their size, their speed, the fact that they can’t fly are all of interest, but the thing that hooked me on the ostrich was their eyes. They are huge, beautiful, and I think you could hang your jacket on their eyelashes. While I may confess to an admiration of the ostrich, I should also make it clear that I have never actually known one. I have walked by them in zoos and seen them on TV. That is about it.
Then I read a piece by Gary Richmond, a former zoo animal handler and vet assistant, who tells the story of Howard the hideous ostrich.
Gary says that being a zoo animal handler pretty much requires that a person be an animal lover, and he certainly fit that description. Then he met Howard the hideous ostrich. Actually, while Howard was especially hideous, Richmond maintains that all ostriches are quite terrible.
God’s Word speaks of the ostrich in several verses, but it is in Job 39:13-18 that we read the more complete description:
“The ostriches’ wings flap joyously; With the pinion and plumage of love, for she abandons her eggs to the earth and warms them in the dust. She forgets that a foot may crush them, or that a wild beast may trample them. “She treats her young cruelly, as if they were not hers; though her labor be in vain, she is unconcerned; because God has made her forget wisdom, and has not given her a share of understanding. “When she lifts herself on high, she laughs at the horse and his rider.” (That last part is remarking on their incredible speed when they run.)
Reading that description from scripture, I guess Gary Richmond has it right, the ostrich is an odd bird that isn’t particularly loveable. He says of the ostrich, in commenting on why it is one of the few birds that the Creator did not give the ability to fly, “I think that the Lord took into account their size and their lack of intelligence, and decided that the world would be a much safer and cleaner place if they were kept permanently grounded.”
Hideous Howard was considered one of the zoos most dangerous specimens, weighing over 200 pounds and with 3 inch claws on his feet that could eviscerate a person in the blink of an eye. Howard seemed to spend every waking moment devising plans to do just that to the zoo handlers.
One day, it all came to a head. It was part of Gary Richmond’s job to clean the 5 acre penned area that held Howard and some pygmy goats. He would do so by using a leaf rake to ward off Howard. When Howard would charge at him, he would put the broad head of the rake under the bird’s chin and force it up. This action, having its head pushed back so that its big eyes could only see the sky, would confuse Howard and bring him under control. Then one day, as he lifted Howard’s chin upward, the end of the rake fell off. What happened next was a combination of combat and hide and seek. Eventually, Richmond escaped. In the ensuing weeks Richmond confesses that when he would enter the enclosure with Howard, he was less concerned about being careful not to inflict pain. He hated the ostrich and hated taking care of him.
In Gary Richmond’s book that tells this story, he applies his feelings about Howard the hideous ostrich to how we are to understand God’s will for us regarding how we should treat those people in our lives that we don’t particularly like. In fact, it may not be a stretch for some Christians to say that there are people they truly feel hatred towards. God knows this, and God commands us accordingly:
The words of Jesus in Matthew 5:44: But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…
Jesus in Mark 11:25: And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
Proverbs 15:1: A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Romans 12:18: If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
If you have a “Howard” type of person in your life perhaps it is time to give them over to God. To consider how to make peace, at least as much as it depends on you. Perhaps it is time to forgive and bless rather than to hate and fume.
God bless you with His peace today.
Vern