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Good Morning. When I was growing up, a surprising number of the houses I knew had pictures on their walls that mainly involved lines of birds flying in formation against spectacular sunsets.  They were phenomenally popular and they were the work of Sir Peter Scott – who was born on this day in 1909.

But the paintings were just a small aspect of a pretty remarkable man.  He was a very early television star as one of the first to make and present popular documentaries mainly about birds.  But he was much more - a decorated naval officer in World war two, an Olympic medal winning yachtsman, a world renowned conservationist and founding member of the World Wildlife Fund.

What strikes me though about this man is that he could so easily have spent his life in the shadow of his father, one of our great national heroes - Scott of the Antarctic who had died on a south polar expedition when his son was only two. 

In an age when the children of celebrities have to work really hard to establish a life away from the spotlight I find it inspiring that Peter Scott managed to do so much more than just survive the pressure of being his father’s son.  And most of what he achieved he did on his own terms.

People like Peter Scott are of course pretty much in a league of their own in terms of the scale of their achievements and legacy. And the rest of us could easily find that intimidating.  But in fact for me Scott actually stands out as an inspiration – showing that we need never be discouraged by the achievements of others.

The Bible repeatedly tells us that we are individually precious to God and that He seeks only that we become fully ourselves.  We need to grasp and hang onto that.

Father, thank you that Your Word reassures us that life isn’t about competing with other people – alive or dead – it’s about becoming the best we can be.  Amen.