Remember this old English nursery rhyme?
The wise old owl lived in an oak,
The more he heard the less he spoke.
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?
Hi I’m Tom Ellsworth from Sherwood Oaks Christian Church with a minute message.
There’s more truth in that poetry than we realize. The stiff white feathers of the barn owl’s heart-shaped face help direct sounds toward its ears. It works – a barn owl can hear the rustling sound of a mouse 75 feet away. It gets better. While most of us prefer our ears to be somewhat symmetrical, the barn owl is greatly aided by the fact the left ear, which points slightly upward, sits a bit higher on the face than the right ear which points slightly downward. This unique arrangement gives the barn owl such accurate hearing that it can pinpoint the height of sounds and thereby hunt in utter darkness.
God designed the owl with precise hearing, but he gave us the unique ability to choose how and when we listen. The next time you see an owl, just remember that our relationship with God and with others would greatly improve if we listened more and spoke less.