Indigo Bunting : It Takes Just One
Indigo Bunting
This is an Indigo Bunting. He’s a nonbreeding male, and you can see emerging hints of the color that names him. For years I’ve wanted to receive a good photo of this bird. I’ve heard them many times and even seen a few. But that special photo had always eluded me. Each encounter has left me wanting something different, something more. Some days this park is rich with bird life, just brimming. Other times, it can be quiet. I find value in both types of experiences, certainly. And I have to confess that finding as much fulfillment in the quiet days is a practice which I’m still working. Today was generally on the sparser side; it could have been considered a “bad day.” But it wasn’t. Just this one bird, without all the others, was enough.
The Book of Isaiah lays out a brutal contrast between external value and intrinsic worth. The Book starts with a litany of observances: animal sacrifices, pilgrimages, prayer, etc. And for each of these ostensibly vital activities, Isaiah makes clear that these aren’t enough - if the people fail also to focus on good, to act justly, and to protect the downtrodden. In other words, all the observances are peripheral to the core ways we live together. Without the right intent, incense is just dust, and offerings are just slaughtered livestock. God’s castigation reveals what actually matters: God’s priority for how we demonstrate fidelity to God’s instructions clearly takes the form of day-to-day living in community rather than ritual.
There is an extensive literature on what it takes to be happy. I’m fascinated by the “Hedonistic Treadmill.” The concept is that joy from externalities diminishes over time, and we need another boost, something new. I contrast this with its opposite instead: without what would we no longer be happy? What can we pare back, and what must we keep? Time, health, some amount of material wealth, and surely feelings of deep connection to God and community would have to remain. How many of us know our must-haves? And how many of us simply keep pursuing without clear purpose? What I learned in my quiet, sparse day was that “just” the one Bunting was enough to enliven my visit. Isaiah reminds us of God’s one expectation.