The harbingers of spring (at least in my part of the world)! Spring peepers! In February of 2018, I went on a mission one day to actually lay eyes on one of these noise makers. At the time, I didn’t realize just how tiny they are, and I thought I surely wouldn’t have any trouble finding one, judging from the loudness of their chirping. I was amazed at the deafening jingle-bell like chorus of what must have been about a bazillion frogs. Even more amazing to me was the ability of those bazillion frogs to become totally silent as I got close to their location. Not one peep!! But, you know there is always a loser to the “quiet game,” and the loser that day was the little guy in these photos (except for the photos with the peeper in the leaves of a plant). Apparently, he could not contain himself and continued his quest for a mate, even in my presence. It still was not easy to spot him. I just got lucky as I scanned the marshy area with the zoom lens of my camera, and I was thrilled he wasn’t camera shy. I tried to spot another peeper this past spring and catch it in the act of chirping, but to no avail. And there’s no particular reason that I wanted or needed a picture of a peeper. Photographing the peepers just presented a challenge, and these tiny frogs are just another part of God’s creation that make me take notice of His greatness!
Did you know that a peeper can survive even if most of its body freezes during the winter? Peepers produce a substance called glycerol that acts as a sort of antifreeze, preventing damage to the frogs’ cells during the winter hibernation. Their hearts may not pump and they may appear to be dead, but once they wake up and thaw out, they will be back to normal after a short healing period. And that’s when the nightly spring concerts begin (or even mid-day concerts on overcast days).
So why the large balloon on a peeper’s throat? That balloon is actually the frog’s vocal sac, and it’s not just the peepers that have these sacs. To make their sounds, the peepers, and many other types of frogs, close their mouths and nostrils, squeeze air out of their lungs and into the vocal sac, and pass the air over the vocal cords in the process. But don’t think the peepers’ performances are simply for our listening pleasure. The peepers have a much greater purpose for their peeping! (Say that three times fast.) The reason for the racket is reproduction!
After a period of hibernation in the woods, under logs or loose bark on trees, the spring peepers make their way closer to bodies of water to reproduce. The males peep or chirp to call to the females. It takes a lot of energy to make the calls, and a male can usually make about 90 calls during a four hour period. Male peepers join together in a chorus to make a much louder sound, which also creates a competition among themselves. The male with the lowest pitched chirp begins the competition. So how does a female decide which mate to choose? Males who call at a faster rate are likely to be older and larger frogs, so that makes them more attractive as suitors. Once a female has chosen her mate, she nudges him and he hops onto her back, staying there as the pair makes its way to the water for egg laying and fertilization.
Thinking about this tiny frog – how it requires so much energy to create its voice, how it uses that voice for a purpose and, therefore, doesn’t want to waste its energy on useless or continual chirping – makes me think about how we use our own voices. The Bible sure has tons to say about our speech and how we use it. Consider what James 3:3-12 has to say about the tongue. No human being can tame the tongue. From the same mouth will come blessing and cursing and that should not be so. Maybe that’s why James also said in James 1:19 “be quick to hear, slow to speak” and why Solomon said in Proverbs 10:19 “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.” How do I know the right way to use my words? What should be the purpose of my voice? Maybe taking a look at a few more Bible verses can answer those questions.
THE DON’Ts
- “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.” James 4:11a
- “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.” Colossians 3:8
- “Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not.” 1 Timothy 5:13
- “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices.” Colossians 3:9
- “They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.” Titus 1:11
- “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” Proverbs 27: 2
- “As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.” James 4:16
We should not use our voices for the purposes of speaking evil, slandering others, obscene talking, gossiping, lying, teaching false doctrine, and boasting of ourselves. Let’s look at the flip side now and find out exactly what should be the purpose of our speech.
THE DOs
- “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:5-6
- “Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.” Psalm 35:28
- “And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long, for they have been put to shame and disappointed who sought to do me hurt.” Psalm 71:24
- “I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 89:1
- “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16
- “Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.'” Psalm 126:2
- “I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.” Psalm 86:12
- “Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
- “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” James 5:16
- “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11
- “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” Hebrews 3:13
- “And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:11
- “And also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” Ephesians 6:19-20
- “And there they continued to preach the gospel.” Acts 14:7
- “But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:24
- “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Galatians 6:14
Our voices have many purposes, but they all revolve around giving glory to God. With our mouths, we are to praise Him and tell of His righteousness. We are to sing to praise Him and to admonish each other. We are to laugh and shout for joy about the things He has done for us. We are to lift our voices in prayers of praise and thanksgiving and requests for healing. We should use our mouths to confess our faults to one another and to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. We are to exhort and encourage each other with our words. We are to teach and preach the gospel of Christ and to boast only in His cross. I think Colossians 3:17 sums up the purpose of our speech (and our entire lives) nicely. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” So use your voice for God’s glory! Peep with a pious purpose and have a righteous reason for your racket!
When the groundhog casts his shadow and the small birds sing, and the pussywillows happen and the sun shines warm, and when the peepers peep, then it is spring. Margaret Wise Brown
