Owl Pellets

Deuteronomy 8:3 -- "Yes, He humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."

I just LOVE this little guy.."WHO, Me?"

If you look in the encyclopedia for Owl - you get to learn that first, there are several different types of owls, and second, they do this weird thing with their food.

Predatory owls hunt and eat things like small fish, frogs, rabbits, rats, insects.....you name it, and there's most likely an owl out there that includes it in his diet. The thing is, they can't always digest the stuff they catch. So.....after eating, I'm talking a few days after eating, they regurgitate the parts that were not digested.  This can include insect exo-skeletons, bones, plant materials, beaks, parts of feathers and what have you. It's called a pellet. [If you're a hawk, it's called a casting...I have no idea why there is a difference].

owl pellet - kind of mushed

A homeschooling mother, I get to dissect these wonderful little pellets with my student in Biology class this year.  You can learn a lot from a pellet.  You can even determine the kind of owl that barfed, just by doing a little poking around in it's puke. [I know, it sounds so gross....but it's actually kind of cool].

My point is: owls kind of pick and choose what parts of their meal they are going to keep. [or at least, their bodies do] The parts they like and need are kept, while the parts that mess up their little bird tummies are discarded. Kind of a neat thing.

WE - are NOT owls. Though I have met my fair share of Christians who eat like an owl [unfortunately, myself included, sometimes]. We take God's Word, keep the things we like and toss the things we don't. We will cling to certain verses and ignore others. It IS easier to do it this way and at times, a lot more comfortable...but that's not really what God had in mind.

I like that Deuteronomy 8:3 specifically says - "we live by EVERY word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." I am also drawn to pay attention to the most frequently quoted part of this verse: "people do not live by bread alone." This one verse says so very much.

I cannot live without God's Word. AND....I have to eat my spiritual vegetables. Even the kale and broccoli parts. God is teaching me, feeding me, and growing me. I am thankful that He has given us His Word and will do my best to pay attention to EVERY part of it.
 

A little note: did you know that owls don't make any noise at all when they fly? Their wings don't flap - it's amazing.