The Early Bird and The Worm

“The early bird gets the worm…”

I’m sure you’ve heard that phrase a million times. The message, of course, is that if you get up early and go at it, you’ll be more successful than if you don’t.

But is this logic faulty?  The very message we are analyzing here says it is.  Bear with me, this does relate to our Christian walk, and I’ll get to that in a minute.

Can you see the fault in “The early bird gets the worm?”  Read it again and see if you can see the fault in that statement.

OK, here’s the fault.

WHAT ABOUT THE EARLY WORM?

The poor worm obviously got up early also, correct?  But even though the worm got up early, it got eaten.  Not so good.  Perhaps the worm should have slept a few more hours!

The statement, “The early bird gets the worm” says more about the bird and the worm than the time of day and diligence. In fact, it has little to do with time or diligence.  It’s all about how well equipped you are.  Maybe we should revise it to say, “It’s better to be a bird than a worm..”  Birds have wings and can survey the landscape. They can dive in on their unsuspecting prey easily and quickly. It doesn’t matter what time of day they go at it, they will always get the worm because they are better equipped.

Now how does this relate to our Christian walk?

Christians have something non-Christians do not. When you believed in Jesus, you were ‘sealed with the holy spirit..” That’s nothing to scoff at or to belittle. The gift of holy spirit is your spiritual power base. It gives you direct access to God and our Lord Jesus Christ. It gives you the power to do whatever it is that God has  called you to do.

The gift of holy spirit gives you an advantage.  It gives you ‘wings’ to fly high above those who don’t have it.  It makes you a ‘bird’ compared to all the unbelievers. Now I’m not going to go as far as to say unbelievers are worms because they are not. They just haven’t heard or haven’t heard enough to believe yet.  There are plenty who have heard and have rejected Christ but if they are alive there is still hope.  Maybe we can call them worms after they die, unsaved.

We don’t want anyone to die unsaved. That’s where we come in. With God’s help we can reach out to others with the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. Each in our own way, by befriending someone, by helping them with a car ride or a shopping trip, by talking with them about an issue they are experiencing… there are many different ways to open the relationship and the conversation, but we can do that. It’s the gift of holy spirit is that opens the doors and convicts the heart.

Every time you speak to someone you plant a seed. Other people interact with the same person and more seeds are planted. Pretty soon, if there are ears to hear, the seeds take root, and new life begins.  If not, at least that person had the opportunity to hear because you took the time and care to speak to them.

I don’t care if you get up early or not, it’s up to you and your lifestyle. You are important to God.  Be the bird, not the worm. Trust God and the gift He gave you and share your faith with others. How else will they hear?