Job 12:7-10 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”
Inspired by our celebration of “mini-beasts” here at school this week, I got to thinking about my favourite creature that fits into the palm of a human’s hand. Whose hand are we talking about? Mine, yours, Andre the Giant’s?
And then I recalled something about my favourite creature, one I’ve had in my hands on many occasions, and I realised I needed to let the community in on one of my life secrets. But first, a contextual question – “do you have a useful skill that no-one else you know has?”
Because, I do! It’s a giftedness from God to me that I have, until now, kept secret from the college community.
You might be thinking “What could this gift possibly be? Is it controversial/debatable whether it’s a gift? When did God reveal this “gift” to you, Tim?”
Well – here we are: I can carry an echidna around with only one hand.
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I graduated from university with an honours degree in zoology. In my fourth and final year, I conducted my honours research project for 10 months on echidnas in their natural surroundings. I travelled a great deal throughout eastern Australia, usually to remote bushland settings, and spent a great deal of time looking for them, and waiting for them to wake up! I took measurements, I made observations, I (actually) made discoveries about how their bodies worked that no-one before had ever known. It was a huge blessing!
Echidnas are amazing animals, misunderstood often, and VERY PRICKLY on the outside. And yet, they are amongst the most extraordinary of the unique group of animals God put in Australia, so very different in their shape and behaviour to animals in all other parts of the world.
They can only do a few things well, but they do those things extraordinarily well. They are vulnerable, and easily scared. So, in my studies, I learned to pick them up with two hands (in a caring stance) without gloves on, and to walk with them using only one hand (as they gripped onto my hand using their hands and feet). Even writing the details here makes me smile; it was a very special connection for me – a deeper appreciation of the wonder God creates within every creature he has placed on earth.
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The echidna (my favourite “mini-ish” beast), who they are and what they do, can be seen as a metaphor for the way God loves us and wants us to relate to him.
The echidna is very prickly. Without love, the prickles strike out and hurt those they meet. We all have our prickles, the things we do and say that will easily hurt – especially in circumstances where we feel vulnerable or unloved. And yet, when handled lovingly and with skill, those prickles – which are part of us – no longer define us. The beauty beneath the prickles can be seen and experienced, the gifts within can come out and bless others.
When you encounter an echidna, it can be difficult to see much hope for the relationship you have with it. And yet, with its limited resources, it provides exceptionally positive impact into the ecosystem it is part of. Studies have repeatedly shown that they add to the health of those natural settings in which they are found and left to do their work. They find their way, they find their purpose, and they “just get on with it” – that is, they respond to the innate calling they have, when and where they are.
Beneath our own prickles, God has given each of us a purpose, a calling, a set of gifts to use and opportunities to respond to. Being in a community that lovingly handles our inadequacies as we seek to serve God to his glory is crucial to our true gifts being seen and utilised. May this be a community that enables each student, parent, and staff member to thrive in their walk with God, as the gifts they have been given are used to bless and serve others.
educating 4 life, too 
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