Consider the Sparrows

We have had a sparrow problem at our house for quite awhile. For as long as I can remember feeding the birds here, they have been coming to our feeders and flicking perfectly good seed everywhere into our flower beds. Sure, the mourning doves love it (and I love mourning doves), but a lot of times they just waste seed or eat entirely too much seed, leaving nothing for the other birds. 
But that’s only half of the problem when it comes to sparrows. They are aggressive, they travel in large packs, and to be honest, they’re kind of bullies. House sparrows are an invasive bird species, which means they are not native to North America. They were introduced here from Europe a long time ago, and since their introduction they have been thriving by killing off native birds and taking over their nesting sites. 

So, as an amateur birder, I hit the interwebs to try to figure out what options I had to manage our sparrow problem. Some of the sites suggested special feeders–I already had those. Others suggested cutting down shrubs and trees in the area–this wasn’t an option for us, as all of the shrubs and trees around us are not on our property, plus, I don’t really like removing stuff like this from the environment. But, by far, the predominant answer to our sparrow problem came in two short words:  Feed them.

The answer to our sparrow problem, the internet experts said, was to feed them. Feed the sparrows cracked corn–their food of choice–in a feeder and on the ground at least 15 feet away from other feeders. So I did. I hung a cheap feeder from a branch of the maple tree out front that was on our side of the property line, then filled it and the ground below with cracked corn. 

And the crazy thing is…IT WORKED! Like, immediately. The sparrows found their food…and some of the squirrels, bunnies, and chipmunks in the area did too. And just like that, all of my anger and agitation at these birds who never asked to be here in the first place–who were simply doing what they needed to do to survive–were gone. 

I wonder how many other things in life could simply be handled in the same way? I wonder how many irritations and frustrations could go away in an instant simply by tending to them or by bringing a lens of nurture and compassion to a person or a situation instead of anger and pettiness? That neighbor who never mows their lawn? Why not stop cursing them out in our heads and see if they need help with their lawn or their lawnmower? That coworker who is always the “overworked martyr,” claiming to have 200 reports to do when you mention that you have one? Why not stop rolling your eyes at them long enough to make them feel seen and heard, and then offer the suggestion that they let the boss know of their overwhelming workload, and offer to share with them your time management skills? Why not meet folx where they are instead of where we wish they were or where we want them to be, and just tend to their needs?

That’s the thing with Jesus–our Teacher--he was always addressing situations of irritation, anger, and fear through the lens of Love. When townspeople and religious leaders had no problem chaining and restraining a man from the country of the Gerasenes with an “unclean spirit,” Jesus stepped in and addressed the powers that constrained him, and brought him back into relationship and community. When other Jews reviled the tax collectors like Matthew so much that they wouldn’t be in relationship with them, Jesus sat down and shared a meal with them. Time and again, Jesus saw the anger, the frustration, the irritation, and the fear of others and rather than jumping on the bandwagon or facing frustrations with force, or might, or division…Jesus responded in love.

I don’t know about you, but I want to get better at that. I want to view all of the “sparrow situations” in my life through the same lens Jesus did. I want to lean in when my instinct is to push away. I want to build when my inclination is to tear down. I want to feed when all I can think to do is starve out. I have a ways to go in that endeavor–maybe you do too?

I don’t know, but what I do know is that I am a better human because I am not being frustrated daily by these sparrows. I know that the sparrows are better because they are getting a favorite food and aren’t having to fight for it all of the time. And I know the rest of the birds are better because they aren’t being bullied at the feeder by the sparrows every time they try to come and eat. Which leads me to believe that Jesus may have been on to something by the ways he leaned into love in situations that were easy to be less than loving. Perhaps it's the only real way for us ALL to get a little better:  By figuring out that feeding just one of us actually ends up feeding us all.

So, as for me and my house, we will practice “considering the sparrows,” and I pray that you and your house might join me. 

​Pr. Melissa

---