Look at the birds
of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your
heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
This winter I have enjoyed the Juncos at my bird feeder. Juncos are traditionally called the snowbirds. They are beautiful little bird with steel gray backs and stark white fronts. They live in the Northwoods during the summer and come spend the winter with us. Generally they seem to be loners - visiting the feeder when other birds are absent, or standing on the sidelines of the deck while other large groups are feeding. Quite often, they are on the floor of the deck, eating the left-over seeds others have thrown away. The exception this winter was those two weeks we had extremely cold weather. Those days the juncos joined the other birds in the feeder. When I normally only see one Junco at a time, there were 8 in the feeder amongst the sparrows and finches. It made me realize that in a crisis, they came together to survive.
When I think about loners in our community, my first vision is of the homeless who chose sleeping in the street or under bridges or some out of the way place, rather than coming to the mission. I have heard these loners say they feel more comfortable outdoors. They don't like the other people at the mission. They don't trust others who might steal from them or attack them so they go off alone. During those 2 weeks of extreme cold, Pastor Tom was on television inviting and encouraging these loners to come and stay warm and be supported at the mission. I wondered how many accepted this invitation despite their prior behaviors. In a crisis, things change.
I keep my feeders full for the birds, especially in bad weather. Inspired by a recent Bible study which focused on loving everybody, I have put together bags of things for the homeless which they may need. My daughter has dropped these off in areas that she sees the homeless and they have quickly disappeared. My hope is that the loners will feel loved and not alone.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to be aware of others who are alone yet need to know that someone cares about them. Help us to support those who cannot support themselves. Help us be a welcoming community who steps up during crisis times. And finally, don't forget the timid little juncos --keep the feeders full so the loners can eat. Amen
Nancy Hall
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