I’m sad today. And I’m angry. For the second time in two weeks a mama hummingbird has abandoned her nest and the babies have died; two nests in two weeks. Just yesterday the babies were alive, moving, wriggling with beaks wide open as their mom fed them the regurgitated mix of nectar and insects. She faithfully returned every 20 minutes to feed her precious younglings. Today the babies lie still, stiff, beaks open, never to be fed again. And I’m sad.

A few days ago two little house finches fledged from their nests and began their trek to self-sufficient adulthood. They would follow their mom to the various feeders, fluttering and flapping their wings, asking to be fed. She would wait to see if they would eat the tasty seed on their own, and when they wouldn’t, she would feed them as she had in the nest. Soon I saw the babies eating seed off of the ground beneath the feeders and knew they were figuring things out. Yet the very next day downy feathers covered the ground where they had been feeding, evidence of a cat attack. The two fledgling finches were nowhere to be found. And that made me sad.

I’m also angry.

Neighbors all around us let their cats outside every day. There are five cats that make their way here, to our little bird sanctuary – each and every day. The cats are well fed at home but love to stalk and chase the birds, lizards and everything else that lives here. I know it’s fun for them because that’s how God made them. But the balance of our garden life is being upset. Two of these cats, in particular, are excellent hunters. Older birds have learned to be watchful, wary of cats and other predators for which they could become a meal. Hummingbirds usually rely on their speed and maneuverability to stay out of a cat’s reach, but they aren’t always successful, especially if they fly low to the ground in search of insects for offspring.

So, I have a hunch; I don’t know for sure but I think that these cats caught the two mama hummingbirds. That. Makes. Me. Angry. They didn’t “need” to be caught as a meal for a hungry cat. And the argument that this is “just one bird” doesn’t work with me because a whole family of birds has died as a result. I get even more frustrated because I’ve asked that the cats be kept inside, to no avail. Two cats did show up wearing bells a couple of years ago, but that didn’t last very long.

Yet if I’m saddened and angered by these injustices, how much more is our loving and just God grieved, angered when injustices happen to His children. Jesus said in Matthew 18:7 “Woe to the world because of offenses. For offenses must come, but woe to the man by whom the offense comes.” (HCSB)  Indeed.

“Lord, help me to handle these circumstances as You would, without letting it get the best of me and turn into sin. Please give me gracious words as I speak with our neighbors, remembering I represent You at all times. Help me remember that not even a sparrow falls to the ground apart from Your will. So please protect each little creature that lives here, as You see best. Amen”