111 Feed The Ducks

Recently walking through the park my daughter inquired why we couldn't feed the ducks. It was a city park with much foot traffic and it brought up good conversation. If feeding the ducks became a practice it might be considered thoughtful or even compassionate. I know there would be many kids who would enjoy it and it might even help in certain ways. Whether it be a family of ducks feeding a brood of ducklings, or an old duck struggling. When you feed the ducks regularly this happens. The ducks expect to be fed. Before to long their numbers grow and the congregate in the place they are fed. No longer do they venture out looking for bugs, seeds, or fish. There are predators out there and they know not to bother if they can lounge on the warm summer grass as a group waiting for the next handout of breadcrumbs. This is where a problem is introduced. What happens when these ducks forget. Forget how to hunt. Forget how to search. What happens when the ducks grow too dependent on these feeders that happen by on the trail? What happens when winter comes and the pond freezes over. What happens when the feeders disappear for winter and suddenly they are hungry. They have adapted to simply wait for food to be delivered to them, but now the humans are huddled into their homes. The ducks get weaker and weaker. They used to fly south at the earliest signs of a waning fall, but now they wait. Breadcrumbs would surely arrive. Maybe a few remember their past and fly off to places they can feed themselves, but a majority stay simply to die. What benefit is it to Christians to come to church to be fed. What ways to we handicap people by handing out spiritual food rather than simply show people where to find it. What growth can we really expect by engaging in talk without expecting action? In my own life spiritual growth and faith occurs in action with God, not in the tickling of my ears through a weekly sermon. It occurs by serving beyond my capability and seeing God get involved. It comes through testing and not through sitting on the green grass of retirement waiting for a morsel to fall from the minister's hand. The trap we are stuck in is again the blessing we enjoy. The blessing of our freedom, the wealth, security, and comfort of our culture. But this blessing is also a curse. When winter comes, if we do not remember how to feed ourselves we too will die, and considering the finality of spiritual things a spiritual death is eternal.