The old adage says that “the more berries on the trees then the harder the winter that follows”. As I walk around the countryside there certainly seems to be lots of berries on the trees at the moment. The red berries seem to lighten the greenness of the trees and bushes like gemstones dotted all over the surface. It creates a picture that must seem attractive to the birds as they look for food in the colder days and nights. It implies that this is the time when we should be thinking of filling the bird feeders in our gardens that enhance the food supply for the birds.
It is amazing how the birds are provided for by God’s creation, and it is only the destruction of their habitats that means we too have to put some food out for them in our gardens. I know that with a growing population we need to build more houses, but what does disturb me is that we are removing more and more of the places which are needed for the continuation of the natural world and the fields which are necessary for growing the crops we need to sustain us. I remember, as a child reading a book called “The Balance of Nature”; I fear that the balance is moving away from the natural to the man-made and that sooner or later the balance we need for the human race to grow and prosper is being diminished and will ultimately disappear.
We are instructed in the Bible that God gives us enough to live, and that we are to share with those who do not have the same access as we do to the things that nourish our bodies. I hope that we learn to use creation for the good of all people across the world, giving and sharing all that we have.
May I wish you God’s blessings
Revd Graham
