Sometimes God whispers in the dark and then sometimes He screeches through the call of the Limpkin. God desires we pay attention when He whispers just as much as when He shouts through creation.

We moved to Florida in December 2019. Luckily we found a home to rent and I was thrilled that it backed up to a small body of water, a freshwater pond.

We enjoy seeing the jumping fish, also called a mullet fish and hearing all the various bird calls. It’s lovely to see the ducks playing and skittering on the surface of the water. Since there are fish and other small lizards, herons of all types come to fish at the pond or in the bushes.

But then there is the limpkin.

What is a Limpkin?

Limpkins are smallish birds (probably a foot tall when an adult) and occupy freshwater marshes and ponds in Florida, the Caribbean and South America. Their bill is uniquely shaped to forage for and open shells of snails and mollusks.

But what makes them most notable is their very loud call and they make their presence known at all hours of the day. I have even heard the one from our pond in the middle of the night. It’s call reminds me of a really obnoxious alarm clock that will surely wake the neighbors. Take a listen for yourself: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/227553#_ga=2.134094798.1338464507.1664901456-225311783.1664901455

One day, I am in the house, slowly working on my manuscript.

All of a sudden, I hear the limpkin’s call and it startles me.

The noise the limpkin makes prompts me to ask why is the call so loud, obnoxious and identifiable? Why am I noticing it in the first place, other than its annoyance in the midst of trying to concentrate on writing. And I pause and consider the ‘why.’

Consider the ‘Whys’ of Your Day

Perhaps it is a gentle reminder that I can get so engrossed in my work that I forget to be present in the moments of my day and interact with those around me, including my husband and even the Lord.

Am I so absorbed that I have no bandwidth to accommodate another voice that is whispering to my soul?

Maybe the Lord has something for me in the screeching of the limpkin.

Maybe God is trying to get my attention.

Take Time to Pause

So I move outside onto the lanai and sit with computer on lap, mesmerized by the sight before me.

The sun is glistening on the water as it ripples with the breeze. The ducks are floating on the water, but we know they are furiously paddling under the water to move across the pond. Yet they look so peaceful and rested.

I wonder.

Is the Lord trying to remind me that He has created a safe place for me to rest?

That location of peace is not necessarily in the home itself or on the lanai, but in His presence. Psalm 23 reminds me that He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul.

Be Restored. Remember Whose You Are

And I find I am thankful for the screeching limpkin.

It has reminded me that I take myself and my work way too seriously – even the assignment I believe I have received from the Lord.

So I sit and soak up the reminder that I am the Lord’s daughter, His special treasure.

I hope when I hear the limpkin’s call in the future, I am transported to this same place in my soul. I desire to be attentive to God’s still small voice.

Listen for the Limpkins in Your Life

I wonder if the Lord is trying to get your attention as well.

He desires that you sit in His presence, knowing you don’t need to produce anything to be loved by Him. You just can be as you are and breathe in His presence.

So listen to the call of nature. Pause. Ponder.

Consider what the Lord might want to unveil to hearts and minds when they are present to His call, no matter the source.

Listen for your Limpkin.

God is trying to get your attention as much as mine; let’s be listening for His call.

For additional information about the Limpkin, please visit: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/limpkin

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