don't be a parrot

I was thinking about how some people will say things and have absolutely no intentions on following up or doing what they say.

Sometimes we may say we believe things that we don't necessarily believe. We may think we do - but our lives say differently.

I was listening to a podcast and it reminded me of the verse "they honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me"
(Mt 15:8).

That hit me a little different because of some things I am dealing with right now. It is hard to see actions that don't line up with the words. There is a clear message - and that message is "inconsistent".

This brought an image of a parrot to my mind. We can train a parrot to say just about anything but their hearts are not necessarily in it.

A parrot can say "I love you" but they still crap on your floor. They can say "I'm hungry" and we train them by rewarding them with a cracker. They learn to say things to get the result they want - so do we.

I think people are parrots when they use their words but their heart doesn't line up with the words. We learn what to say to get what we want just like a parrot. It is all about us. As long as we get what we want, we will say just about anything to look a certain way or to get others to believe we are something we are not. You can say you believe something or are something but your actions are a totally different message.

My point: don't be a parrot. We live what we believe but we don't always live what we "say" we believe. An inconsistent message only leads to mistrust. No relationship can be built on mistrust.

Don't be a parrot