M is for Mac ~ Guest Post by Andrea Kidd

Why do I write? Mac is one reason. I met Mac one morning when he was out for his walk. He stepped away from his buddies, let them go past, waddled over and gazed kindly into my eyes. He contemplated me as though he were enquiring, “Would you, could you, be my friend?” I was honoured by his gift of interest. 

Mac looked across the boundary of green chains that dangled between us. It would have been easy for either of us to cross that gentle barrier. But, a greater gulf separated us and prevented our close union.

Mac is a king penguin living at the Calgary Zoo and I am a human living in Longview. We live close enough for a friendship to be possible, but a friendship with a fellow creature on this planet has its limitations, especially when we are not of the same species.

Still, my brief relationship with Mac was satisfying and pleasurable. It gave me hope for future relationships with God’s creatures and His people. Mac’s fearless, friendly, engaging and curious gaze reminded me how good it is to interact with others.

Mac continued to give me attention as he cocked his head first to one side and then the other. Finally, he took one last, long look and joined the other king penguins as they toddled down to the bottom of the hill.

Later, I visited the penguin habitat where Mac lives. King penguins, Humbolts, Gentoos and Rockhoppers all go about their daily lives there, diving, shaking water off their backs, feeding babies, scrambling over rocks or calling for a mate. We laughed at the crazy, long yellow ear tufts of the Rockhoppers, but the king penguins in their smart black and white suits accepted them as normal penguins, which, of course, they were.

Suddenly, a certain king penguin leapt up onto the barricade that separated us and stared down at me. Mac was back for another look! “Would you, could you be my friend? Could we be good companions for life, you and me?” he seemed to say. I thought he was going to jump down to me. Kindly penguin keepers came to provide a gentle buffer between us. Mac could do as he pleased, come down or plunge back into the cool water of his home; however it was clear that no encounter harmful to either of us would ensue. The penguin keepers provided a boundary between Mac and me that gave us a safe space for good interaction. We could explore our relationship without fear.

Mac turned, dove into the water, propelled himself out onto the rocks and mingled with the other king penguins, calling with a loud raucous voice that he was single and looking for a mate.

Good choice, Mac! Some relationships are only meant to go so far. 

As I was writing this article I discovered an amazing truth:-  God has removed all barriers between Himself and us, even though we are not of the same species.

God is God and I am not. I am human and God is not, although, for a while, He did take on human flesh. We are so different and yet God invites us to be His friend. He has dissolved the barriers of guilt and shame between us and Himself through Jesus. He says, “Do not fear!” 

At first I wrote about Mac because it was delightful to experience the encounter again. Then God revealed to me nuggets of wisdom about my relationships. There are barriers that need removing with people I know, and some to maintain for healthy relationships. And, a person’s relationship with God need have no barriers; it is the deepest and most satisfying of all. As writers we encourage others to taste this goodness as well. 

My encounter with Mac confirmed my belief that I must share this wisdom.

Thank you, Mac!

 

Andrea Kidd writes to open readers (including herself) to recognize Jesus walking by their side in the ordinary and extraordinary events of daily life. She contributes regularly to the High Country News published and distributed in the Foothills of Alberta.