The Wisdom of Lady Cardinal

Last night as we ate dinner, we were treated to a glimpse of the cardinal courting ritual.  A male and female cardinal came to the birdfeeder together.  Seeing them together is not typical during most of the year.  The male sat directly in front of the seed, while the female was at a right angle to him on the side of the perch.  He picked up a seed and placed it in her mouth.  She accepted it.  He fed her several times.  If he didn’t do this quickly enough, she sat there with her mouth open waiting until he caught on to his responsibility.

If Mr. Cardinal is going to “get lucky” tonight, he has to prove that he knows how to take care of a lady and provide for a family.  Unfortunately, human beings aren’t wise enough to figure this out.  Young women in our culture have accepted the lie that they can be sexually “liberated,” and that if things don’t work out, they can make it as single mothers.  Some teenage girls look upon having a child as a status symbol, or at least, something that gives meaning to their lives.   If any thought is given to the realities of caring for a child, it is “magical” thinking that is not based in reality at all.

Here are some interesting statistics I found.  Although two-thirds of single mothers are employed outside the home, only two-fifths are employed full-time year round.  The average income of a family headed by a single mom is only one-third of the average income of a family comprised of a married couple.  So, most children being raised by single mothers are being raised in poverty. 

I have seen this problem close up.  My heart breaks for young women who have made unwise choices and whose children suffer the consequences.  If they were birds, they wouldn’t survive.  Because they are people, and there are programs in place to assist, they “survive,” but not necessarily in a healthy fashion.

I have also watched a cute little downy woodpecker come to the bird feeder over and over.  Each time he picks up a seed, he carries it to the same spot in the large maple tree.  I do not see the female at the feeder until late in the summer.  It is apparently his duty to bring home the food, and he does it with diligence.  As I watch him hurry back and forth, I am filled with admiration.  I love that little bird.

God has placed wisdom in the instincts of His creatures.  He has placed a conscience in those who are made “in His image.”  Our culture has taught young women to ignore their conscience and accept something less than God intended.  Our culture has taught young men that they can get away with being irresponsible.  They do not have to prove themselves in order to have the privilege of mating.  Our young women are not wise enough to wait like Lady Cardinal with mouth open expecting to be fed.  Our young men are not diligent enough to exhaust themselves like Mr. Downy Woodpecker in providing for their families.

If only humans were as wise as birds…….