"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

 

Today we are going to take a look at those bright and beautiful, tall and magnificent, pretty and pink flamingos! Aren’t they just beautiful birds? When I see things like that in God’s creation, it just lifts my spirit. My mother-in-law has a bunch of flamingo garden stakes by the flowers in one part of her yard. When we drive up and I see those charming and welcoming flamingos, I just have to smile. Let’s take a look at these beautiful birds and see what we can learn.

​

Stand Tall and Firm

One of the first things we notice about a flamingo is that they stand up straight and tall even in the water. Do you know what they are doing with their feet down there under the water? They are stirring up the bottom of the lake or pond using their long legs and webbed feet. All that good stuff, those tiny little organisms that the flamingos are craving, comes floating to the top of the water allowing the flamingo to eat. As Christians, if we want to stand firm and tall, we are going to have to work at being fed by the Word of God. We can’t be passive about it and think that our spiritual food is going to come naturally floating to the top so we can get at it. No. We are going to have to actively seek God’s Word. We are going to have to devote ourselves to Bible reading and study. We are going to have to dig our feet in and stir up the water. In the end it will ground us and we will be standing firm and tall when life tries to knock us around. Stay Pretty and PinkDo you know why some flamingos are a darker pink than others? It is because they get their color by what’s in their diet. The richer with carotenoids their food is, the brighter color the flamingos will be. Their color as adult birds can range up to bright pinks and crimsons. As Christian women, how rich is our diet? Remember, we are to be in the world, not “of” the world. The things of the world are not going to contain the important nutrients we need in our diet. We need big doses of God’s Word, prayer, and faith to keep healthy and in the pink.

​

Preen to Stay Beautiful and Protected

I guess most of us women know what “preening” is when it comes to getting ready to go somewhere. As a whole, most women like to check their appearance before the mirror. We like to look nice. We like to attain to become beautiful. Most of us at least like to smooth out our hair before we go on our way throughout our day. Birds preen to keep their feathers from becoming matted. They move around their feathers with their beaks in order to keep neat and clean. What is so interesting about flamingos is that when they preen, they move the oil around their necks. This helps with waterproofing their feathers. As Christians we need to preen by moving the oil of the Holy Spirit around. It’s going to waterproof us against the world and make us beautiful in Christ. Holy living does that for us. Being sensitive to the Holy Spirit helps protect us from being caught up in sin. Concentrating on holy living and bearing those fruits of the Spirit will help us stand in confidence in front of the mirror. Ever get your feathers ruffled? Living in the Spirit will quickly take care of that. I read a statistic that says that the flamingo spends fifteen to thirty percent of their day preening. That got me to thinking about how much time I really spend in God’s Word, prayer, and witnessing for others. How much of a percentage of my time do I really work at living in the Spirit?

 

Flock Together

Flamingos are very social birds. Have you ever seen them in a flock and watched the way they move about? They are almost kind of mesmerizing to watch. All of those movements are how they synchronize their mating and breeding. That is just another one of those intricacies that God put into creating this magnificent bird. The way we move about as Christians in the body of Christ should be a beautiful thing to watch too. I think we need to be more synchronized when it comes to serving alongside together with other Christians. We should be working together for Christ like a well-oiled machine. After all, it is how we spread the Gospel and reach others for Christ.

 

Find Safety in Numbers

As I mentioned, flamingos are social birds. Besides their mating and breeding making it necessary, flamingos also find safety in numbers. If one is off by itself, predators can get to it so easily. There is a lot to be said for that. As Christians we need that bond of fellowship with others that know Christ. It helps keep us safe. Fellowshipping and encouraging each other helps ward off some of the pitfalls and troubles we can so easily get into. Good Christian friends help make us stronger.

"Iron sharpeneth iron; So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend"

Proverbs 27:17

Think about what the Bible says about prayer.

"Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:19-20

 

Stay Near the Water

One last thing about flamingos is that they are a water bird. They like lagoons, lakes, and swampy areas. Flamingos stay close to the water. Christ is our Living Water. As Christians, we need to stay close to Him. We need to rely on His leading. We need to seek Him as our water source to help sustain us. We need to draw close to Him.

"But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works." Psalm 73:28

 

Conclusion:

I’m not sure about you, but I enjoyed learning about these beautiful flamingo birds. Frankly, I didn’t really know much about them until I stopped to look up a few facts. It always amazes me how God can take His beautiful creatures and teach me some lessons. I hope I can take what I’ve learned and put it into practice and do the flamingo. After all, God created us to do good. We are to be living to glorify Him.

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

I know I need to stand firm on the Word. I need to stay healthy spiritually so I can stay pretty and pink. I need to preen in the right way and stay beautiful by living in the Spirit. I need to be working and serving together with other Christians in the body of Christ. I also need to get a little social and rely on more fellowship with other Christians. Lastly, I need to stay close to the water, the Living Water. So, are you ready to do the flamingo?