For quite some time now, I have enjoyed observing the various birds that come to feast upon the feeder I have in my yard. I have seen cardinals, bluebirds, wrens and finches to name a few. It brings me great pleasure to see their beautiful colors and hear the melodic songs they sing. Recently, however, some of that joy has been displaced by the largest crows I have ever seen eating up all the delectable seeds that had previously been reserved for my songbirds. There seems to be no short supply of what I consider to be nuisances and not my desired feathered friends. Their addition to my yard is univited and unwanted and I have considered them only a slight step above the carrions that eat the dead carcasses left behind. It got me to thinking though about how we respond to people that we consider undesirables...you know, the poor, the sick, the elderly perhaps...Most of us are attracted to people who are beautiful, cultured, financially secure etc. Not unlike those birds that I find to be attractive. It is easier to be friendly to people that are friendly. It is easier to like people that are likable. It is easier to like people that give me something in return. But, is that how Jesus would have us be? I don't think so. Who did Jesus associate himself with? Was it the most popular, talented, and handsome leaders of his day? No, it was the tax collectors, the lepers, the forgotten, the undesirables. Those people needed His love and bread from heaven possibly even more than the desirables did. I am not saying that you can't have the beautiful songbirds and only have crows. God gave us the birds to enjoy and to bring us pleasure. Only He wants us to let a few crows eat our seeds. Don't resent the people (or crows!!) that God sends your way...they need to eat too...

Scriptures to meditate on:

Luke 14:12-13 (New International Version)
12Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,

Romans 12:16 (New International Version)
16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[a] Do not be conceited.

Matthew 9:11-13 (New International Version)
11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
12On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."