The Kingfisher

simplicity // 12
the Kingfisher

As kingfishers catch fire,
dragonflies draw flame...

Myself it speaks and spells,
Crying, “What I do is me: for that I came.”

It’s one of my favourite sights in the world, the arrow of neon iridescent blue as the kingfisher darts along the river. It’s gone in a flash, but the image stays with me. In fact, for me, it represents the Spirit of God. And that’s not necessarily a heretical thought.

“Christ”, as Gerard Manley Hopkins puts it in his poem about the kingfisher, “plays in ten thousand places” - in the kingfisher, in the dragonfly, and also “through the features of [our] faces”. But he plays most clearly when we are doing what we came to do; when we can truly say, “What I do is me.”

That’s not an egotistical statement; it’s not saying, “What I do is for me.” In fact, it’s the opposite. Our ego strives to make more of us than it needs. It seeks restlessly to establish an identity that will remain indestructible, bullet-proof. It stops us being able to say, with utter simplicity, “for this I came”.

So today, may we take encouragement from the kingfisher, who simply “is”; or the dragonfly, or the stone, or the bell, for that matter. We are all “lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes to the Father”.


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action point:

Try reading the whole of the poem, and allow your self some time to reflect on it.
How would you complete the following - “For this I came: ...” Reflect. Pray. Wait. Listen. Muse. Act. But please let us know.

As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame;
As tumbled over rim in roundy wells
Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell’s
Bow swung finds tongue to fling out broad its name;
Each mortal thing does one thing and the same:
Deals out that being indoors each one dwells;
Selves — goes itself; myself it speaks and spells,
Crying, What I do is me: for that I came.

Í say more: the just man justices;
Keeps grace: that keeps all his goings graces;
Acts in God’s eye what in God’s eye he is —
Chríst — for Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men’s faces.

GM Hopkins

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“I would say this to my seven-year-old self (“the Child’s View”): Don’t worry. Everything will be all right. Your mum and dad really love you – trust me. You’ve got a great brother. You live in a safe part of the world and you have nothing to worry about. School is a tricky place, and people learn to find their place in life and it can be tough. But you will discover great things. You will discover music, poetry, literature, places; great friends will find you, and you will find them; you will grow in wonder at the wonderful world. But please don’t rush, because it will all happen soon enough. For now, make the most of every day you play football with your friends and walk with your family in the woods and go swimming and enjoy camping trips... Because everything is OK, and all will be well, and you will know and be known.” John

“When I look back to being seven, I see a little girl, alone and scared. I was evacuated from the city, because of expected air raids and bombing. I was on a farm in the countryside (never having seen a cow or sheep, except in picture books), with strangers, who were kind, but casual. I had been carefully sheltered in a Christian home and now was among folk who had no thought of Christ. As I look back at myself, I see a brave wee girl, who knew that she had to face this new life and that her mum and dad were praying for her. Now, in a way, I am back there, on my own and a bit scared. It's good to remember how I endured, with God's help; and I trust again, with God’s help, to go on with confidence and even joy.” Helen

“Note to a 7 year old me: Remember to always enjoy what you’re doing and always look for the good in others, and you'll find God in you! Don’t be in too much of a hurry to grow up, it will come soon enough and there is no going back. Reply: Where me and my gang play, if you don’t like it, you're out... and if I can’t go back, what’s the point of growing up? I'm never growing up and anyway, God’s always with me. Why do 7-year-olds always have the answers?” Keith

“Maybe there are others like me who at seven already knew that the world was a terrible place and there was no one you could trust. Somehow God has brought me through to my 40s. I reassure myself daily with the word’s “It’s OK”, and allow myself to live childish moments now when I run to the swings in a park or get excited when I see an ice cream shop...” Kirsty

“I watched the moon with my 9 year old son. Usually it is hidden behind the cottage opposite, but on Saturday, it was large and bright and yellow, nestled low in the space between the two cottages on the other side of the road. Its light silhouetted the hillside and the winter trees as we stood and looked, silently. In that time I was awakened to that which is precious. The closeness and contentment of being with someone I love, and who loves me, unconditionally and mutually. I forgot, just for those few moments, the demands of 21st century living. We could have been any mother and son, at any time in history, enjoying the moment of being together and appreciating nature.” Paula

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May you do that for which you came, today.
Go well!

Brian