You’ve heard this before, “Imitation is the highest form of flattery.” Hi, I’m Tom Ellsworth from Sherwood Oaks Christian Church with a minute message.
As autumn progresses, I miss the sounds of songbirds around our home and none sings more boldly than the mockingbird. This rather drab looking, gray-colored bird can easily be dismissed as uninteresting until he opens his mouth to sing. The song of the mockingbird is actually a medley of calls from many other birds. Each imitation is repeated two or three times before another song is initiated. It’s common for a mockingbird to know 30 to 40 different calls, but some have been known to learn 200 songs and sounds. And he doesn’t just zero in on the songs of other birds, the mockingbird can imitate insect and amphibian sounds, the cry of a child and even the occasional mechanical noise.
God teaches an important lesson in the song of the mockingbird. Some imitation is beauty; some is just noise. Be careful who and what you imitate. The apostle John wrote, “Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good.” So when you hear the mockingbird sing, remember, it’s not about flattery but goodness that makes imitation valuable.