Brave Like a Quail - A Fool for Christ

 If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 2 Corinthians 5:13 (NIV)

For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! 1 Corinthians 4:9-10 (NIV)

Snowy Male Coturnix Quail, 2022

Bic pen 

15” x 11”

Quail are silly little birds. They just crack me up with their funny little games and their endearing chirping sounds. Even their appearance makes me smile. They look more like caricatures of birds rather than actual animals …and yet there they are. From an artistic perspective, their proportions are just hysterical. Picture a pingpong ball balanced atop a grapefruit then covered with feathers and boom - you’ve got a quail. 

For the most part, quail are pretty quiet making only subtle little chirping noises. However, the males will occasionally let out a loud crow if they get excited about something. The male quail’s crow is the stuff of sheer comedy and I’m sure roosters everywhere (of the chicken variety) would just fall over and die laughing. A male quail’s call sounds like a tiny battle cry.  It is a loud “Burrr - raaw - ka- ka - ka - kAAaaahH!” Ok, so I can’t do it justice in text form. It is something you just have to experience to get the full effect.

Crowing Quail video by Happy Wife Acres 2021 (retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIkZnt3c5dY)

My sister has a small community of quail, also known as a covey, which she nurtures and cares for. The quail love her. I believe they see her as “The Great Quail,” a bestower of tasty gifts and one of their own. They have a good thing going on, she gives them grain and treats and they give her eggs. It’s a good arrangement. 

Very rarely, when Michelle is busy or out of town, I am tasked with the responsibility of tending to the little covey. When my sister interacts with the birds she is greeted warmly with affectionate chirps of excitement. I am not. My presence is cause for alarm. I am the intruder, “The Fearsome Giant.” Whenever I enter into the quails’ domain, there is an immediate mood change. The air swiftly changes from frolicking happiness to red-alert. One would think that, in this scenario, all the little quails would flee in panic; flying away or diving into their little hidey-holes to escape danger. This is not so. Sure, a majority of the birds will move away from me in order to maintain a safe perimeter. However, shockingly, there are a brave few who will stand their ground. I have had males run up to me and attempt to defend the covey on more than one occasion. These brave little guys will willingly place themselves between the females and “The Giant.” The fact that I am 20 times taller doesn’t seem to deter them. They posture and poof, attempting to stand as tall as quailly possible, all while  summoning their best tough-guy face. It is hilarious!

You might be surprised to know that quail were not always thought of as funny, flighty, little birds. According to the book An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols, certain cultures associated the quail with bravery. Ancient Romans, for example, regarded the little birds as a symbol of courage and of victory in battle. In addition, Chinese tradition also links quail with courage as well as military zeal. (Cooper, pg. 135) 

I have to say that “courage” was not the first attribute that popped into my head when I thought of quail. Cute? Yes. Funny? Absolutely! But brave? However, after having spent more time up close and personal with these little guys, I can totally see it. I am huge compared to a quail but they still stood up to me and defended what they loved. Outmatched, with no real defenses of their own (other than striking funny poses), the quail were willing to look ridiculous if it meant standing up for what (and who) they valued. 

Ok, perhaps I’m reading way too much into quail psychology and their semeiotic significance. However, all this quail pondering brought an interesting question to my mind - are we willing to look ridiculous for what we truly value? Would I look goofy for God? Allow me to phrase it another way, if God asked you to do something that made you look silly in the eyes of the world (society) would you do it? 

I think that if you asked most Christians if they would obey God if He spoke directly to them they would instinctively answer with a resounding “YES, of course!” But imagining how we would act and actually doing are two very different things. For example, what if He asked you to hug a crying stranger? Comforting a friend is one thing but what about a total stranger that you have never said a word to before? What if God told you to prophesy to a checker at your local grocery store… in front of a line of people, would you do it? How about if God asked you to do something that made you feel awkward instead. Would you still be obedient? What if God asked you to pray audibly over an unbeliever for their healing? How about if God asked you to share your faith with a family member who happens to be an atheist? Would you try, knowing that they may well laugh in your face… again… or possibly worse? It’s one thing to share what God is doing in your life on Sunday surrounded by fellow believers at church but what about on a Tuesday with Grandma the life-long atheist? These might sound like off-the-wall questions but they are actually all real examples of situations that have happened to myself and close friends. I think that the one underlying question that encompasses all of these examples is an important one we all need to ask ourselves as followers of Christ:

would you look like (or feel like) a fool for the cause of Christ?

Now, just to be clear, I am not advocating that we all run out and start acting like crazy people simply for the sake of being strange and then claim it’s for the glory of God. It is important to strive to hear God’s voice louder than all the others so that we are not mislead by our own wild ideas or, even worse, by the Enemy’s ideas. But when we do feel a genuine prompting from God Himself are we willing to act, regardless of the outcome or how it makes us look? Looking like a “fool for Christ” boils down to one basic question: 

which do you value more, people’s perception of you or people’s perception of God? 

God recently revealed to me that my own resistance to act came from a place of pride. I didn’t do the things He asked me to do, and I hesitated even when I did them, because I was more concerned with looking/sounding foolish than with being obedient. But thankfully God is patient and gracious. He didn’t give up on me and He didn’t stop giving me opportunities to practice my obedience. God revealed pride in my heart that I hadn’t even realized was there and also made me aware of a very important truth. An awkward situation lasts for only a moment. Eventually, the adrenaline will wear off, your heart will stop pounding, your cheeks will stop blushing. Even the traumatic memory of how embarrassed you felt is momentary and will eventually dissipate with time but the ultimate fate of a person’s immortal soul is a matter of eternity.   

So, how about it? Would you be a fool for Christ? 

It seems like a pretty obvious choice and while it is a simple one, it is far from easy. We have been trained our entire lives to care about what other people think of us. How many times have you heard expressions like, “what would your mother think?” Or, “what will the neighbors say?” Generally speaking, people want to be liked by other people. We want to be liked and accepted in our community. In fact, I think most of us would actually prefer a step beyond being liked and accepted, how about celebrated and adored? How about rich and famous? After all, isn’t celebrity status the pinnacle of achievement according to society?  But the God that we serve does not prize the same attitudes and achievements that society does. God explained His own thought process like this to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  (1 Samuel 16:7 NLT). 

The teachings of Jesus are often in direct opposition to what society has programmed us to strive for and desire. Jesus calls us to be humble; to live a life of selfless love and service to others; to pray for the people who hurt us; and to care for the people that society has thrown away. These actions are counterintuitive and downright strange by our cultural standards. In short, if you do like Jesus you will look odd.  

3 Coturnix Quail (Male Standing Tall), 2022

Pencil 

15” x 11”

Ok, so you’re down with Jesus and you want to follow His teachings, but how do we do it? How do we prioritize obedience to God and the salvation of others before our own desire for comfort and the approval of society? The answer is simple. We do it the way we do everything else - with God’s help! God the Father is gracious, He is faithful, and He is patient in teaching His children. In my seven years of walking with God, not once has He thrown me into the deep end of the pool, turned his back and said “good luck, hope everything works out ok.” God wants us to succeed in the tasks that He has called us to do and He wants to help. Obedience and learning to put others first is just that, it is learned. So ask God for help. Ask Him to teach you to be a fool for Christ. Spend time in the Bible so that you can develop the ability to identify God’s tone of voice. This is an invaluable skill that will protect you and help you to differentiate God’s voice from all the other voices (your imagination, culture’s ideas, the Enemy’s whispers). And last but certainly not least, pray that when He does tap you on the shoulder and say “ok, you’re up” that His Holy Spirit will guide you and give you the courage to act. 

It is my prayer this week that we would be brave enough to be fools for Christ. I pray that we would be brave like the little quails, that we would stand up in the face of our own towering giants (our insecurities, our pride, our fear of failure, and of society’s judgment). God, help us to actually do the things you ask us to do even when we don’t understand them and even when it feels awkward. God, help us to put aside our own image and put you first. May we loudly proclaim with our words and deeds, “this is where I stand, this is who I love! I am a fool for Christ Burrr - raaw - ka- ka - ka - kAAaaahH!”

P.S. In case you were curious, my friend who was asked by God to prophesy over a grocery store checker was faithful. She actually did it! And as a result of her obedience the young man was encouraged to go back to college. How cool is that?!

Cooper, J.C.. “Quail.” An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols, Thames & Hudson Ltd, 1978, p. 135