Careful: endangered ones crossing

In September, my husband and I enjoyed a generous gift of nearly a week in Kaua’i, the northern “Garden Island” of the Hawaiian chain. Our son and daughter-in-law arranged the mini-vacation as appreciation for a year-plus of babysitting while they worked. Our “sitting” was win-win for us—no pay expected—as we invested in vulnerable babies and had confidence that their day-care (us!) met our standards J.  This gift-trip allowed us to unplug from tasks and concerns “back home.” As we drove around the island, I snapped photos of things that reminded me of God’s fingerprints. I start sharing them with this blog post.

As a mother and grandmother, I could relate to this sign intended to protect Hawaii’s state bird, the endangered nene (the name sounds something like the goose’s soft call). Found in the wild only in the Hawaiian islands, in 1950 the birds were close to extinction with only fifty left. A half-century later, they had grown back to about 800, but were still considered “endangered.”

The state is working to restore a healthy population of nene and other native birds at risk. During our visit, tropical storms slammed the islands. One wild night of thunder and lightning resulted in “navigation confusion” for about a hundred endangered seabirds, most of them “Newell’s shearwaters,” which fell from the sky and needed rehab; nine died.

Other protective tactics are signs like this one at a cramped parking area near a habitat overlook area, where it’s tempting to throw the birds human junk food. This sign brought to mind a Bible verse I learned in Sunday school as a small child:.

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of God is. (Ephesians 5:15-17 KJV).
I didn’t understand it at the time, but I connected it with the illustrations in a classic children’s book my family owned: Make Way for Ducklings. Like the book’s ducks following their mommy duck in an obedient row, I was to follow my Sunday school teachers and parents in living “circumspectly,” which, whatever it meant, sounded quite serious!

 As an adult, I had that verse clarified for me in a newer translation:

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Ephesians 5 details the differences between “the light” (God’s way) and “the dark” (Satan’s temptations). Such choices faced us one evening when we visited the hotel’s free-to-guests video kiosk, thinking we’d choose one. But as we scrolled through the various available movies, nothing seemed right for us as Christians. Violence, sex, crime and abnormal behavior characterized nearly all.  Even the cartoons had doubtful content.  We left empty-handed. Interestingly, the next morning we picked up a copy of the island’s newspaper and read of school children taking a public vow to quit watching violent movies and videos. The day’s editorial lamented the demise of more innocent television shows, like Mayberry “sheriff” Andy Griffith.

I thought of the nene bird crossing sign, and the warning not to feed the birds. I asked myself: Is my culture wisely supervising what goes in our children’s minds, or is it inviting them to peck at garbage?