Lyrebirds

"I can't see anything, Grandpa," said Sophie as she peered through her binoculars into the woods. "What am I looking for again?""You're trying to find a superb lyrebird, honey," said Grandpa. "I'm sure there are a few that live in this part of the woods. Maybe we should sit on this log and listen for a while. We might hear them before we see them."Sophie and Grandpa sat quietly together, listening for any distinct lyrebird sounds. Sophie was spending the summer at her grandparents' home in Australia. She loved learning about all the unique animals that lived nearby. They heard a few dogs barking in the distance and a squirrel chattering up in a tree. "Well," said Sophie after a few minutes, "I don't think we're going to have any luck today, Grandpa."Just then, Grandpa gave Sophie a nudge and pointed to some brush in the distance. A medium-sized brown bird with long, flowing tail feathers was foraging for insects on the ground. "Wow," whispered Sophie as she got a closer look through her binoculars. "I've never seen a bird like that. The tail is so pretty!" The lyrebird lifted its head and broke out in a strange song that sounded like a mixture of whistles and a dog barking. Sophie said, "That's the weirdest bird song I've ever heard, Grandpa. It sounds just like those dogs barking.""The lyrebird is a master of mimicry," explained Grandpa. "It can imitate all kinds of sounds, like other birds, dogs barking, car engines, and even chainsaws! When they sense danger, the birds give a very loud alarm shriek.""That's pretty cool!" said Sophie."We can be like lyrebirds too sometimes," said Grandpa. "We tend to imitate the words and actions of the people around us, which can get us into trouble if we're hanging around the wrong friends or following popular people on social media who say or do things that are ungodly. The Bible says we should be imitators of God instead. Jesus loves us so much He died to save us, and He helps us imitate that same kind of love in our lives. He calls us to be kind, compassionate, and forgiving just like He is." -Kendra Angle