On Seeing a Blue Jay

Little Flashes of Grace

I hate New York in the summertime. Jacob Akey, my friend and coworker, likes to say that we’ve been lied to. The “city that never sleeps” not only takes naps during the summer but also goes on vacation. Many residents are now leaving the city for the summer, something I wish I could do myself.

Those who stay are condemned to wallow in their sweat and misery as we walk the streets, which stench of wet trash and sewage. I found myself in this sorry state when out of the blue, I ran into a blue jay.

My self-pity was stopped in its tracks. I was struck by the bird’s vibrant colors, beautiful song, and graceful movements. He hopped up a fire escape and flew to a nearby branch. I observed it with amazement for a couple of minutes. It then flew away.

Since then, I’ve been reliably informed that the blue jay is a common bird in this part of the world, although I think I had never seen one before. It seemed to mock the ugliness of the “concrete jungle” that surrounded it. Like finding a beautiful flower growing out of the cracks of the sidewalk.

Running into beautiful things often serves as a slap in the face, as if God is reminding us that our preoccupations and worries pale in comparison to his gifts. This is especially true with beautiful birds. Running into one is always an unexpected treat. There is a special and natural spontaneity to it.

“Gaze upon the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap or store in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of far greater value than they?” (Matthew 6:26)

I’ve always thought of birds as proof of God’s existence. They have appeared to me in moments when I needed them the most but did not yet realize it. I remember walking down Reforma in Mexico City in April of 2020, stewing in my anger over the recently imposed lockdowns and the way this was affecting my life. I stopped by a fountain outside the National Museum of Anthropology when a small parakeet landed on my side. These are not, to my knowledge, a common sighting in Mexico City. Perhaps it had escaped someone’s home or a pet store. Whatever the case, it stopped me in my tracks and brought me an unexpected peace.

Some may view these bird sightings as mere coincidences. They may very well be, but even coincidences fall inside of God’s providence. They are flashes of grace that mandate your immediate attention. Let us keep our eyes open to them. God is telling us something.