by Donna L. Watkins
It's my morning delight to watch the wildlife around the feeder area. It reminds me we all wake up to God's provision and if we tune in we will find it every time. Right now, there's a sweet young bunny hopping around the grass knowing there's often food in the area. He's right, his breakfast is right behind him because an hour ago I put out some veggie and fruit scraps. He should be relying on his senses to direct him.
© 2009 Cottontail Rabbit Eating Our Fruit and Veggie Scraps
I do the same thing as Mr. Bunny. I know God provides, so I hop around looking here and there rather than tuning into the Spirit. If we follow the aroma of God's love for us, seeking His face for direction, it will take us a lot less time to be fed. Beginning my day with some Bread of Life keeps me from soul starvation. Each day is filled with challenges and I need to have God's promises in my gut to get through them.
The wildlife scraps include watermelon chunks today, one of my favorite fruits. I used to eat watermelon into the green rind, but now, since I slice the rind in pieces for the wildlife when I'm finished eating, I leave a little portion of red for the critters. Today's wildlife salad bar also has carrot ends and peelings, along with apple cores and a few pieces of oatmeal spilled on the counter. Garbage to most people, provision for wildlife.
The rabbits will prefer carrots and apples, leaving the watermelon today for the deer that will soon arrive. Character qualities are as evident in wildlife as they are in humans. There are some that seem to consider that "somebody else" may need a bite to eat. Our bunnies are like that. Then there are the squirrels, who charge into the day determined to get all they can eat and 'squirrel' the rest away for later. They expend more energy fighting for eating rights than they seem to get from the food.
Isn't it easy to run to and fro grabbing all we can to be sure we have enough, even though we've never defined the boundary lines of what is enough. We can squirrel away things and forget we even have them, so we buy them again. Squirrels don't have good memories either. They don't remember where they bury nuts, but they can smell a nut under a foot of snow.
I used to be more like the squirrel than the rabbit. Wasting food is a common practice, but my Pennsylvania Dutch upbringing must've left some remnants of frugality in me, so our family made a choice to not throw away food, thinking of the many that were dying of starvation as a good motivation. One may say, "well you can't send your food to ______, so what's the difference?"
Oh, but you can send your leftovers to nations in famine, to families who live in poverty, to children who are doomed to die of starvation (one every six minutes) ... not by literally sending them your food, but by changing our lifestyle to not have leftovers. Then we will have that money to contribute to the mouths of the starving. It's a grand motivation for put limits on the grocery budget, get rid of junk food in the house, and to eat at home more. Another benefit may be the loss of some extra pounds.
Watching the gentle rabbit, peacefully eating, with big brown eyes and a white cottony tail, reminds me that our choices make a difference in the world, for better or worse. Changing myself to make it possible to change the lives of others has made my life more sweet. I've not lost anything in the process ... I've only gained earthly joy and heavenly rewards ... surely that's the true nature in us.
Related Articles:
Altering Your Intake
What Owns Your Heart?
Copyright and Reprint Information
The photo(s) and article are copyrighted. You may use them if you include the following credit and active link back to this website:
© 2009 Donna L. Watkins - This article was reprinted with permission from TheNatureInUs.com.
The link URL is: http://www.TheNatureInUs.com
I do the same thing as Mr. Bunny. I know God provides, so I hop around looking here and there rather than tuning into the Spirit. If we follow the aroma of God's love for us, seeking His face for direction, it will take us a lot less time to be fed. Beginning my day with some Bread of Life keeps me from soul starvation. Each day is filled with challenges and I need to have God's promises in my gut to get through them.The wildlife scraps include watermelon chunks today, one of my favorite fruits. I used to eat watermelon into the green rind, but now, since I slice the rind in pieces for the wildlife when I'm finished eating, I leave a little portion of red for the critters. Today's wildlife salad bar also has carrot ends and peelings, along with apple cores and a few pieces of oatmeal spilled on the counter. Garbage to most people, provision for wildlife.
The rabbits will prefer carrots and apples, leaving the watermelon today for the deer that will soon arrive. Character qualities are as evident in wildlife as they are in humans. There are some that seem to consider that "somebody else" may need a bite to eat. Our bunnies are like that. Then there are the squirrels, who charge into the day determined to get all they can eat and 'squirrel' the rest away for later. They expend more energy fighting for eating rights than they seem to get from the food.
Isn't it easy to run to and fro grabbing all we can to be sure we have enough, even though we've never defined the boundary lines of what is enough. We can squirrel away things and forget we even have them, so we buy them again. Squirrels don't have good memories either. They don't remember where they bury nuts, but they can smell a nut under a foot of snow.
I used to be more like the squirrel than the rabbit. Wasting food is a common practice, but my Pennsylvania Dutch upbringing must've left some remnants of frugality in me, so our family made a choice to not throw away food, thinking of the many that were dying of starvation as a good motivation. One may say, "well you can't send your food to ______, so what's the difference?"
Oh, but you can send your leftovers to nations in famine, to families who live in poverty, to children who are doomed to die of starvation (one every six minutes) ... not by literally sending them your food, but by changing our lifestyle to not have leftovers. Then we will have that money to contribute to the mouths of the starving. It's a grand motivation for put limits on the grocery budget, get rid of junk food in the house, and to eat at home more. Another benefit may be the loss of some extra pounds.
Watching the gentle rabbit, peacefully eating, with big brown eyes and a white cottony tail, reminds me that our choices make a difference in the world, for better or worse. Changing myself to make it possible to change the lives of others has made my life more sweet. I've not lost anything in the process ... I've only gained earthly joy and heavenly rewards ... surely that's the true nature in us.
Related Articles:
Altering Your Intake
What Owns Your Heart?
Copyright and Reprint Information
The photo(s) and article are copyrighted. You may use them if you include the following credit and active link back to this website:
© 2009 Donna L. Watkins - This article was reprinted with permission from TheNatureInUs.com.
The link URL is: http://www.TheNatureInUs.com
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