Our back yard is full of birds, due to the invitation of flowers and trees, bird baths and bird feeders. I read an internet story stating one should not put out feeders because it makes birds too dependent on finding easy food. (So?) I understand the concern but wonder if the same logic would apply to feeding children. Should we not feed them every day because they are too dependent on home cooking? Daily we have to decide how to live, and it is difficult enough without being distracted by those who want everyone’s priorities and actions to mirror theirs.
The birds in my yard are going to find food wherever they can find it. Should I make their foraging a little easier, why should I feel as if I have harmed those birds somehow? Or what about a similar assertion that bird feeders also attract Cooper’s Hawks to find easy prey in feeding birds? Another slippery slope, right? But what we sometimes allow others to make us forget is that life is not always as perfect as we would make it, and much is beyond our control. I am convinced that some people will never be happy and always find reasons to condemn, criticize, and complain. (But that is another story.)
There are so many debates about issues that often are more manufactured than critical. For instance, there is now an effort to have any bird named for the person who first identified them to be renamed, so as not to offend anyone who might find fault with something unsavory in a bird-namer’s past. Yet, I am fairly certain that mourning doves (the frequent victims of Cooper’s Hawks attacks) aren’t concerned about what they are called, only that they are higher on the food chain than dove.
If I don’t feed birds they will find food elsewhere. Should I stop feeding them so as not to feel guilty about possibly contributing to the demise of a dove or squirrel because I made its food gathering easier and more predictable? Sometimes we let others take all the joy out of living as their passions and judgements might be different than ours. In the end, we are left with two choices. We can either live in good faith or be bounced back and forth in every life decision by the endless debates of others whose personal or political agendas are felt to be more important than ours.
I started bird feeding as it reminds me of winter mornings at my grandparents’ home, when we ate Grandma’s incredible coffee cake and watched cardinals and bluejays line up at her feeders. I also know food (especially in winter) is sometimes difficult for birds to find, and don’t begrudge letting them know our backyard is like a convenience store for them. I even quit complaining about the squirrels raiding bird feeders, as they need to eat as well. Others can debate what floats their boats but I simply enjoy watching and feeding the wildlife I share a backyard with.
Like much of life, what is most important is God’s love and our efforts to by how we care for all of his creation. Sometimes I’ll get things wrong but the gift of God’s forgiving grace allows me to move forward rather than being paralyzed by guilt or distracted by the demands of others. What is in the past can never be changed, even by renaming or hiding it. All we can affect is what we do today and tomorrow. When God’s love is our guide, we have a better chance of being on the right path than if we allow busybodies to be our tour guides in life.
As my life is surrounded by grace, I am more likely to allow God’s light rather than the flashlights of others to shine through me. Our backyard animals seem to appreciate their food, and that is a good enough reason for me to keep at it. (Plus, it warms my heart to remember Grandma doing the same.)