Starlings and Doves

Mary’s Monday Musings to Quilt Encouragement
Starlings and Doves

A large number of brassy Starlings descended on our bird feeders, chasing off the finches and intimidating the doves who pecked on the ground, gleaning the seeds that fell on the snow. The black birds were so large they struggled to perch on the feeder’s small rods and had to twist their heads to the side to pluck a few seeds before their size made them seek rest on a nearby branch. If this flock of noisy birds kept this up, the feeder would be empty in no time, leaving the colorful finches hungry. I opened the back door with a loud bang, and the starlings flew to the fence. I grabbed the snow shovel from where it was left when we shoveled and waved it. The big birds retreated a little farther. After I banged the shovel on the brick steps they flew to a distant tree. Satisfied, I retreated into my warm house and watched the gentle doves regroup at the base of the feeder for more of the leavings as the small finches resumed feasting above. For now, the loud, brassy starlings were vanquished.

Do we sometimes resemble brassy starlings and swoop into a situation to satisfy our needs without thinking that we might be interfering? Do we sometimes neglect to evaluate if we are the appropriate one to gather around the circumstances? Do we notice if the way we involve ourselves pushes others aside? All the birds are hungry when the snow covers the ground where they normally hunt for their meals, but we buy bird feeders with the right size dimensions for specific bird species. We are also specifically designed to fulfill certain roles. We are wise to ask God before we swoop into people’s lives and give them unrequested advice. We are well-advised to ask God if there are other people better able to meet this particular need. The world is full of needs. If we pause a moment to ask God for guidance, we will discover which needs we are designed to fulfill. Then we aren’t trying to awkwardly balance at a place that was designed for someone else to fill, and we will discover the place that is a perfect fit for us.