I have a small sunroom in the back of my house where I often sit and watch the birds at the feeder. I watch them as they quibble and fight over the seeds in the feeder, some birds chasing other birds away (I assume the dominant ones win). I fill the feeder almost every day so there is always enough.
I was thinking how much that reminds me of us. We are able to be fed with abundant choices and amounts in our grocery stores. But yet, there are some who cannot come to the total banquet because of their inability to overcome our dominance with finances. Most of us have more food than we need to feed our family or ourselves. As a matter of fact as an environmental scientist in the past I am aware of the statistic that there is enough food produced to feed the world population. In addition, we throw away tons of food each day!
There was a time I was working in Philadelphia, a very expensive place to find housing, so I lived in an apartment in Camden N.J. and commuted by bus. The neighborhood I lived in was mostly African-American. The grocery store in the neighborhood was horrible. Half the shelves were empty and many goods were frequently out of date but were not reduced in price. I felt bad for the residents; but, they were a very caring people. One gentleman would sit on his steps to wait for me each evening (a white woman) to return home from the bus stop. He needed to know I was safe! The neighborhood was loving and caring. But the food offered them was “poor”, the better food taken by the wealthier.
I often think of the words of Christ when he said – when I was hungry (you did or did not feed me). When I was thirsty you (did or did not give me drink), as recorded in Matthew 25. I do pray that we, who live in a beautiful, productive, and healing part of the world, are the ones who fed Christ.
If the birdfeeder is full – why do we hoard the food?