Photo and Commentary ©2023 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, May 16, 2023
It seems a shame something so beautiful and delightful should vanish off the face of the earth. But one of the basic “laws” of nature is, the more specialized the creature is, the more likely it is to face extinction. Should an animal be dependent upon one type of plant, and that plant dies off, the demise of the animals is assured. Again, it seems a shame something so beautiful and delightful should vanish off the face of the earth. But those in the know suggest, based upon present trends, the Golden-winged Warbler may be extinct within one hundred years. For this bird is a specialist and demands specific conditions in order to be productive. To further complicate things, the early successional habitat it needs is, by nature, short-lived. The edges of young forests which the warbler requires mature with time and become unsuitable.
Contrast this with a “generalist” which adapts to almost any situation. Its diet is variable which allows it to dine on whatever happens to be easily available at the moment. Into this group we might put crows and starlings which seem to be thriving.
So where does the Christian “species” fall in this ecological line of vulnerability? Are we, too, specialized or do we fit more easily into the category of generalists in the scope of humanity? Peter provides the easiest answer to that question, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9 NIV) We may quality as specialists, but our survival isn’t dependent upon the conditions that surround us. That’s already been taken care of by the One who called us in the first place.