Fertile Ground, part 6

The Bird Bath

What garden is complete without a bird bath? We love watching the various interactions that take place there every morning. Birds can be so silly! Bird baths bring a great deal of delight to our yard, but there is no question that they also bring some work along with them as well. They have to be filled, sometimes several times a day. And if you don’t clean them periodically, you don’t have a bird bath. You have a science experiment.
One of my tasks this week has been keeping someone’s plants watered while they are away. At the end of the first day I filled the bird bath before I left. The second day, it was still full when I arrived. The third day, it was still full and that seemed odd. An hour after I fill mine, the birds have already come and splashed most of the water out. So I took a closer look and found a layer of yellow scum. Under that was a thick layer of brown scum. And under that was a layer of green algae scum. So I cleaned it and today when I arrived, it was almost empty. The birds had begun using it again.
Throughout the 23rd chapter of Matthew, Jesus chastises the Pharisees for doing what it takes to appear righteous on the outside, but leaving the inside as unclean as before. It seems they were always missing the point. He always came down hard on hypocrites, comparing them to blind guides and tombs full of bones and unwashed cups. Maybe the imagery of a filthy bird bath would have suited his purpose just as well.
The next time I fill the bird bath in our yard, I will be thinking about the Pharisees. And asking myself, “Am I just walking the walk, talking the talk, and doing the deeds to make myself look all spruced up on the outside?” or “Am I doing what is right because the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit has been at work in my life and I do it because I have a passion to see the glory of my God realized in the lives of others?” If not, maybe it’s time to get out the scrub brush. I really want to be useable, not just decorative.