"Thanks for the birds, Father."
At one time I had 4 tray feeders, a barn-style hopper feeder, and two thistle tubes active. I would spend $50 to $70 every few weeks on various feed bags to mix various sees, nuts, and fruits together to draw a larger variety of birds to the feeders. My feeders were continually atwitter with activity.
Birds are extremely varied in size, body style, coloration, habitats, vocalizations, native or migratory instincts, among various other aspects. Sometimes birds within the same family have the minutest differences and are challenging to identify (for those that are so inclined).
For instance telling the difference between a downy woodpecker and a hairy woodpecker comes down to the size of their bill or length of their body. Or telling the difference between a chipping sparrow and an American tree sparrow comes down to the color of the eyebrow stripe and if there is a central dark spot on their breast.
(Okay, Birders, I know the differences are a bit more involved than that, but not everyone is that interested. 😀)
Arkansas has a
wonderful variety of birds from the majestic bald eagle, to the great horned owl, to the American white pelican, to the rose-breasted
grosbeak, to the well-known Northern cardinal, to the white-faced ibis, to the bufflehead duck.
Some of my friends have begun to
rely on me to identify birds for them (which I find somewhat amusing too). I confess that many times I resort to using a wonderful birding
app on my phone which can even identify birds fairly accurately from a
photograph.
Many while times driving, I'll see a the common sight of Canadian geese flying in their famous v-formation, or a cloud of starlings, or perhaps a couple of ducks or even crows in flight. In my appreciation, I'll say "Thanks for the birds, Father". A recent morning was no different. Initially.
After briefly looking at birds in flight as I drove to work, my eyes fell back to the traffic in front of me, and I was stuck by a thought. It was not unknown to me; it was not a revelation; it was more of a reminder.
Why do I not as often thank Him for the people I see around me?
People can be amazing. People can be mundane.
People can be constructive. People can be destructive.
People can be interesting. People can be repellent.
People can be entertaining. People can be repulsive.
People can be honest. People can be untrustworthy.
People can be generous. People can be greedy.
People can be comforting. People can be irritating.
People can be creative. People can be uninspiring.
People can be helpful. People can be uncooperative.
People can be orderly. People can be lawless.
People can be compassionate. People can be uncaring.
People can be wholesome. People can be vulgar.
People can be gentle. People can be violent.People can be supportive. People can be murderous.
People can be good. People can be evil.People come in a wonderful variety: different heights, weights, talents, intellects, ethnicities, beliefs, creativity, ideas, habits, interests, abilities, disabilities, quirks, likes, dislikes, and many other attributes.
They may not look like you or me, they may not sound like you or me, they may not share talents with you or me, they may not share the same beliefs as you or me, but each one of them has been made in the image of God. As such, each one of them has an intrinsic value.
Granted, people can irritate or anger us. But God highly values people.
They, just like you and me, are people that Jesus loves enough that He came down to earth, God as man, died and resurrected to life again in order to save any who believe on Him, accept His sacrificial death for their sins, and surrender their lives to Him.
"Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs on your head are numbered, so do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows." - Matthew 10:29-31
Thanks for these people, Father."
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