The Huddle of the Penguins
When my husband and I watched The March of the Penguins, we were intrigued by the behavior of these unique animals. When the temperatures drop lower than low and the arctic becomes downright dangerous, the penguins all huddle together in a huge mass of feathers and fluff.
Their bodies all press against each other, creating a warm cozy environment, and a place where they can survive the blasts of subzero winds. The huddled mass of black and white seems to stand still chattering their teeth, waiting for the coldest of days to return to just their normal every day cold (it doesn’t exactly get warm in the arctic). But, the penguins who stand as one are not as still as they seem. Every once in a while, a penguin from the middle, warmest spot in the crowd, inches his way toward the outer edges. And a penguin standing guard on the external rim of the group is relieved from duty.
The rotation is seamless. No one is left out and each penguin takes a turn bracing against the coldest air known to mankind (or penguin-kind). This kind of teamwork keeps the penguins not just warm and cozy but alive.
God’s plans for the survival of animals can often teach us a few things about human survival as well. He gave us clear directions to “huddle” together as the church, but we are often found far away from the pack, alone, unsheltered and facing the harsh elements of life on our own.
Hebrews 10:25
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
This verse isn’t referring to making an appearance at church on Sunday mornings and then rushing home to watch the football game. It isn’t even about donating our time volunteering for various projects around church or making cookies for the Sunday school classes. God knows that we need to HUDDLE together.
We need to protect one another from the harsh elements of this world and we need to be together in order to do that. Our society huddles around TVs, computers, video games and the like, but we’ve forgotten how to huddle around one another. After work and extra activities we have little time to be with the body of Christ, but we must make this a priority in our lives.
We need each other. We could also learn from the penguins constant movement. They intuitively understand that if one penguin stays on the outside edge of the group for too long, he could die from the cold. In the church, we need to be careful not to allow the same group of people to always remain on the front lines. It’s dangerous not only for them, but for all of us. It may seem cozy to stay in the middle of the group, surrounded by everyone else, but we need to each take turns caring for everyone in the group.
So, let’s huddle up!
Heather Cox
What a great analogy, Heather. God bless you this morning.
A great post Heather, and so very true! With this age of technology we have forgotten how to huddle, that’s for sure! A wonderful example of how we are supposed to do things as humans. Paula 🙂
Heather – what a wonderful word-picture you have painted with this devotion. I so agree, we do need each other for support and to not die off…
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us.
Wow Heather,
This is excellent. I find as a woman married to an unbeliever, this is even more important. I need my Christian friends to surround me, from church and online as well.
BTW, LOVED that movie… Thank you… Hugs, Lynn
What an excellent analogy, Heather! That ‘huddle’ time with fellow believers is such an integral part of showing the world what true unity is.
Thank you for this awsome post.
Have a blessed weekend.
I think it was a beautiful analogy too Heather. It is so true – we were not meant to go it alone. We need one another. I have experienced having the body of Christ “huddle around” us during times of difficulty – and it is such a blessing.
Bless you for this wonderful post sweetie.
yes! Great post heather! Let all us online believers huddle up too 🙂
Amen, I thought the same thoughts when I watched that movie. Great devotional. “They intuitively understand that if one penguin stays on the outside edge of the group for too long, he could die from the cold. In the church, we need to be careful not to allow the same group of people to always remain on the front lines. ” Amen!!