So to explain the Kiwi story for all the people including my mum who just didn’t get it. The Kiwi nails lots of trees to a cliff and then jumps off the cliff, falling through the trees, and for a brief moment he feels like he is flying like all the other birds. He sheds a tear as he lives out this fantasy and his life-long insecurities about not being able to fly come to his mind.

The tragedy is that this jump will be the end of his little life and he never realised how wonderful he was as a Kiwi. Makes me think of what God says to Job about his creation, and how he takes pride in everything He has created (even Kiwis though He doesn’t mention them).

The ostrich flaps her wings grandly, but they are no match for the feathers of the stork. She lays her eggs on top of the earth, letting them be warmed in the dust. She doesn’t worry that a foot might crush them or a wild animal might destroy them. She is harsh toward her young, as if they were not her own. She doesn’t care if they die. For God has deprived her of wisdom. He has given her no understanding. But whenever she jumps up to run, she passes the swiftest horse with its rider. Job 39

I am sure I’m not the only one who identifies with this little Kiwi’s struggle to accept himself. Don’t we all make comparisons between ourselves and others? And when we do we inevitably end up wishing we were more like someone else, rather than realising how special we are. There is always someone who is smarter, more attractive, more intelligent, more popular.

But God doesn’t want me or you to be like anyone else. He wants us to be everything He created us to be. When Jesus offers us “life to the full” He is offering us the chance to be fully ourselves, which is the opposite of what this world offers. Even though I struggle to believe it most days, my faith convinces me that God looks down on each of us like a proud father.