Nyjer Seeds

We have a flock of gold finches that are just tanking on our thistle feeders.  For days now they have devoured so many Nyjer seeds we have to refill them every day.   While I am happy to provide sustenance to these lovely creatures I fear we might be doing more harm than good.  If we were not feeding them they would be foraging and thus getting a variety in their diet.  What we are doing is allowing them to stuff themselves on something that is good for them but it seduces them into a one item diet, which I am not so sure is healthy.

I once had a church member who would not read anything except his Bible.  That is a pretty hard thing to condemn without looking like a pagan but I worried about his balance.  He knew very little about current events.  He was not conversant in things that were for most of us just common knowledge.  Perhaps I am the one in error but I think we need to care for the whole person, mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.  God made us multi-faceted beings and each requires our attention if we are to be healthy. Every good parent wants their children to be healthy and God is a good parent.

I once heard a committed vegetarian say, “I would die before I would eat a piece of meat.”  Obviously she was not a vegetarian for health reasons because the last time I looked it seemed that eating a piece of meat and staying alive was healthier than dying.  Alas, it can be difficult to strike a right balance in life, but I do believe it is a quest God desires and expects from us.

Written by Roger Bothwell on February 29, 2012

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org