This afternoon I watched a small flock of sparrows trying, without success, to get food out of our birdfeeder. It is one of those feeders with a door that closes if too much weight is on the perch. Sometimes it keeps the squirrels out but not usually. They are smart enough to eventually thwart it. The birds were flocking onto the perch thus making too much weight and thus closing the door. No one could eat because too many were trying to eat. This would be a good illustration regarding too many people eating off the government. But that would be getting into politics so I will not go there. Instead we can use the sparrows to talk about the disastrous effects of selfishness.
At first I wanted to excuse the sparrows because they were ignorant and did not know any better but people do. However, on second thought most people don’t understand. When we live in a “me first, me first” culture, some end up with too much and some end up with too little. Oops, that is also getting into politics.
Let’s try this. The key to happiness is service. The more we do for others the happier our lives. This is a major construct of Christianity. Jesus did not call us to be rulers of others but to care for others. This results in the abundant life that He promised us in John 10:10. If someone is sitting home alone feeling neglected the solution is getting involved with others. This can happen in a family, in a church, in a civic club or in a hospital doing volunteer work. The idea is to get the focus off of self and unto others.
If only I could have gotten the sparrows to understand.
Written by Roger Bothwell on August 20, 2015
Spring of Life, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org.