As I write this it is 4:00 AM. The morning birds are just beginning to wake up, starting their chorus. First, there is one, then another, a third, then too many to count.

I like to think each bird has its own particular job to do. The one directly across from me is the anchor of the AM radio news show. He starts the day with a brief recap of what has happened overnight and lets us know what to expect the rest of the day. The next bird, the one who sits on the peak of the roof of the building across from me is the traffic reporter. Sitting on the peak of the roof of the building across from me, he lets all the other birds know which road to take to work. There is then about fifteen minutes of quiet.

The third bird I picture as the meteorologist. She is silent for a few moments as she checks her maps, soon beginning her solo song informing the other birds how to prepare for the day. There seems to be a different song depending on the weather, different tones, pitches, speed, and even intensity.

After a few more minutes of silence, all the other birds slowly begin to wake and each adds its own voice to the symphony of sound. As the morning rolls along there are too many voices to count, I can pick out individual birds and even tell which are talking to each other, calling and answering each other. With a little work, I could learn what each call means and what species of bird is talking. Soon, there are so many birds it is hard to single out anyone from the rest.

This morning’s cacophony, (I have always wanted to use that word in a sentence) in my neighborhood is pretty much the same as our own human world. As our days proceed along, the activity around us increases and we have a hard time focusing on any one voice. Distractions abound, phones, emails, meetings. We get lost in the noise.

This is when we most need to focus. We need to stop and focus on the one who leads us through the stormy sea, the one who will calm the wind and see us safely through our journey. Jesus. We need to remember he is there to guide us through all the noise surrounding us. He will see us through.