The heron, the egret, and the alligator

I am a newcomer to the Lowcountry. I am also an avid walker. This combination, then, has afforded me the delightful opportunity to get familiar with my new neighborhood — on foot! So if the evening storm clouds aren’t already brewing, I come in from work each day, immediately lace up my walking shoes and hit the pavement, eagerly awaiting the beautiful sights and sounds I will witness all around me as my Fitbit simultaneously clicks the steps off!

What I am privileged to see on any given evening of my walking adventures are Eastern gray squirrels and Southern fox squirrels, antlered white-tailed deer and speckled, curious little fawns, colorful backyard birds and slimy, slithering snakes, along with dark, stealthy alligators and stoic great birds of the Lowcountry! It is this last set of “creature discoveries” that causes me the deepest daily reflection ...

You see, as I watch the great blue heron perched at the edge of the same pond where a ginormous black alligator has beached himself a mere 40 yards away, or as I watch the great white egret stand serenely in the calf-high water of the very same creek in which a midsize alligator maneuvers herself downstream, I wonder ... how do they do it? How can they share the same space without attacking each other over territorial rights? How can they coexist in the same environment without trying to control or dominate the other’s turf? How can these creatures be so radically different from each other and yet inhabit the same area so peacefully and/or peaceably?

This willingness to “live and let live” despite differences is an excellent lesson — and example — for us flawed human creatures! Throughout the month of August, the church I serve has been focusing upon the New Testament book of Romans. Just this past week, the Revised Common Lectionary has brought us to the 12th chapter of Romans — specifically, verse 18 — which reads as follows: “If possible, to the best of your ability, live at peace with all people” (CEB). In this verse, we find a recognition that getting along with some people in this world is often difficult, if not impossible! The Apostle Paul, who composed this letter, understands that our relationships with others are two-way streets. And there is only so much we can do! We cannot change the hearts of other individuals. We cannot force others to be like us or to give us the benefit of the doubt. Despite our best efforts, there will still be people who oppose us even when we go the extra mile to get along with them!

That reality, as the Apostle Paul continues to explain, should not stop us from continuing to strive for peace with others. Rather, we are called at all times and in all circumstances to be peacemakers and live harmoniously with others — as long as we do not compromise God’s truth in the process.

But again, there is only so much we can do. And so “to the best of our ability,” God calls us only to do what is ours to do, namely: to apologize when we offend people unnecessarily, to seek the well-being even of our enemies and to make sure that we do not erect stumbling blocks to living at peace with others. If we do these things, we can be confident that we are doing what our Creator requires.

So ... whether you are an egret, a heron or an alligator, just live your life in this sacred space we call “community,” and “if possible, to the best of your ability, live at peace with all people.” Amen.

Rev. L. Kim Eanes is pastor at St. Luke’s UMC in Okatie.