Friday, June 16, 2017

Birds of a Feather


Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Romans 2:11
For God does not show favoritism.

If you've followed my blog for any length of time, you probably know that my husband, Danny, and I enjoy feeding the birds that inhabit our forest.  So much so, we have two squirrel-buster feeders hung with a series of wires and pulleys so they can be lowered for easy filling, then hauled back up beyond the reach of the deer that frequent our neighborhood.  (Yes, folks, deer like sunflower seeds, too!)


We've seen quite the variety of birds over the years:  cardinals; nuthatches; chickadees; goldfinches, and even the occasional flicker and bluebird.  All in all, these birds seem to respect each other's space at the feeders; it's not uncommon to see one or two perched on the wire when the feeders are occupied, awaiting their turn that always comes quickly.

Enter the house finch.

We're all familiar with the old saying, "Birds of a feather flock together."  Whoever penned that must have been well acquainted with the habits of house finches.  According to All About Birds, house finches are gregarious creatures, who upon discovering feeders to their liking, might bring a flock of 50 or more birds with them.

Thank goodness this group hasn't attracted this unwieldy number!  But as you can tell from these photos Danny takes, they are certainly swarming our feeders.





And although the cardinal above managed to "wing" his way in, many other of our feathered friends, who are certainly not used to this level of competition, are excluded.

If the house finch has a motto, I'm sure it is, "All for one, and one for all."

They flock together, feed together, oblivious to the presence of the other bird species around them.  It's as if they are the only creatures who matter.  Who measure up.

And I can't help but think their behavior reflects our own human frailties.  Don't we tend to stick to our "own kind?"  Surrounding ourselves with friends who think like us, act like us, dress like us?  Turning a blind eye toward others who "don't measure up" to our standards, our level of education, our income bracket?

But Paul reminds us in Romans 2:11 that God doesn't play favorites.  He loves all His children with the same fierce, unfailing, abiding love.  No one person is more blessed than another.  All are equally precious to Him.

So knowing we are all one in Christ Jesus, shouldn't we start behaving that way toward our fellow human beings, no matter what side of the tracks they come from, no matter their political beliefs, no matter their skin color or country of origin?

It's so much easier to be a house finch, isn't it?

But God never said following Him would be easy.

With the Lord's help, may we all begin to regard our fellow travelers on this life's journey with God's eyes.

The eyes of love.

Amen!

Due to having our granddaughter, Virginia, here all next week for Vacation Bible School, and me helping out with this each day, I'm taking a brief blog break.  I will be back here with you on Tuesday, June 27th.  God bless!





14 comments:

  1. I love your birds...and what a great picture of the deer in the background! Is that on your property? They look right at home there! We have deer around here as well, but they never lay around our property where we can see them. I have to go looking for them at their feeding times in the woods/marshy areas around the neighborhood. What a treat for you! yes, we do need to be more open to other "species" of peoples...and be salt and light in the darkness. Sometimes it is difficult when they reject and trample our light with their own opinions and ways of snuffing out our light...but may God prevail, and may we stay strong in the battle...and show LOVE in stead of hurt/insults. Praying for our nation every day. Have a wonderful time with Virginia and VBS! What a wonderful treat!!!

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    1. Yes, those birds are quite the "hogs" at the feeders, but are so delightful to look at. The deer are prevalent in our neck of the woods - this was taken in our backyard. We see them at least three times a week, roaming through or resting in the shade.
      Jesus told us we would face persecution and hardship for His sake, Pamela, but He wants us to persevere in spite of it all. Whether another person wants to squash our light and reject our love is his or her choice, one we can't control. But we certainly can control how we treat them in spite of it.
      Joining you in prayers for this great nation under God!
      Love and blessings!

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  2. Martha, you were right, this post does coincide with the post I wrote on bias. A very timely message, especially in light of what's occurred in our nation this week.
    Indeed, we need to be reminded that God love us ALL. When we treat others poorly, we are in turn treating Him that way too.
    Blessings, my friend!
    And thanks for the book! I'm excited to start reading it this weekend.

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    1. So glad to hear the book arrived, Beckie! Enjoy!
      And yes, this has been one tough, arduous week for this country. There is so much hate and viciousness being spewed constantly from so many outlets, it's bound to have a negative effect on people who may not be mentally or emotionally stable, as it appears the shooter at the softball practice was. Praying for all those injured, and especially for Steven Scalise.
      Love and blessings!

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  3. Martha, I love your insights here. We humans do tend to get set or stuck in our ways and also only want to be around those who are like us. When we take those risks to reach out to those who are different than us (in a variety of ways) can result in a beautiful friendship.

    I look forward to hearing about your adventures with Virginia and VBS. It will be a time to make memories, that is for sure!

    Love and blessings!

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    1. Kim, I'm sure some future posts will feature all the fun things Virginia and I did at VBS. Last year, I neglected to take many photos (so busy), but I'm determined to shoot more often this time around.
      And that's what so many people forget - not interacting with someone who we perceive as "not our kind" could mean we have lost out on what could be a blessed friendship. We never know until we try!
      Love and blessings!

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  4. delightful post. I too love watching the bird out my office window. We get a small woodpecker at times too and blue jays. The blue jays are meaner. Watcher a male cardinal protects its mate while she ate. He kept attacking the "bird" reflection in my garage door window. silly bird... I probably identified with him. LOL

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    1. Oh, those blue jays can be mighty fierce, Jean! Where I used to live, we saw plenty of them, but they don't seem to like the woods very much. Glad that cardinal has such a protective attitude!
      And his propensity to attack the other "bird" in the reflection? That reminds me of how we beat ourselves up for things done or left undone, when we should all the time be remembering that we are God's children, filled with His light and love.
      Love and blessings!

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  5. What a great analogy, Martha! And so true and timely. Even some who have been known for their extreme rhetoric are taking a step back and calling on others to dial it down. There is no dialogue possible if we demonize those we see as "other." From the photos, it looks like there is plenty of birdseed for all--no need to fight over it! Enjoy your grandma time!

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    1. Yes, Galen, it's way past time for the vitriolic rhetoric to calm down. I think a lot of these troubled folks should be taking the Bible or the Tao you share with us to heart. Oh, what a better world this would be! And how I long for respectful dialogue with others.
      There is plenty of birdseed, but we sure are spending more money than ever on it due to the finches. Oh, well, that's how it goes!
      I will enjoy my time with Virginia, that's for sure!
      Love and blessings!

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  6. Have a great week with Virginia Rose Martha! As for birds, I don't know much about them since I am not a watcher. Thanks for the lesson!

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    1. I'm having a great week so far, Bill, but very, very busy! Glad you enjoyed the lesson.
      Love and blessings!

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  7. We put one of those stick to window humming bird feeder on our large RV window. What a delight it has been to not only see buy hear those little birds come in like a helicopter and stay that way while they feed. God gives us so many analogies to in His creation. As always, Martha you have given us some food for thought. Good post.

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    1. Betty, that humming bird feeder sounds delightful! We've never put one up because we live in a forest and don't have any colorful blooms to attract these fun birds. My mother has one, however, so when we visit her, we get to enjoy those "helicopters" to our heart's content.
      Glad you enjoyed the post!
      Love and blessings!

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