“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
Every summer since we moved into our house over fifteen years ago, I have put out a feeder for the hummingbirds. Every summer, I have been blessed with a bunch of those bossy, territorial little birds. I have enjoyed watching their antics and marveled at how they seem to care more about keeping other birds from taking a drink than feeding themselves. Their nature tends to be quite humanlike at times.
They are colorful and fun to watch and sometimes a lot of work. I often have an ongoing battle to keep the ants out of the feeder. At the end of the season, they consume so much sugar water, that I struggle to keep it filled.
It’s like when I put out a feeder at the beginning of the summer, I feel a responsibility for these tiny wild creatures.
But, last summer I only saw one or two birds the entire summer and never together. I poured out most all of the sugar water I made because when it remains in the feeder more that a couple of days in the really hot part of the summer, it sours and can be dangerous for them to drink. I figured someone else in the neighborhood must have been feeding them or perhaps they were getting what they needed from flowering plants.
So, this summer, I decided not to put a feeder out. The hummingbirds clearly no longer needed my assistance. We decided to plant tomato plants in the pots underneath where the feeder usually hangs instead of hibiscus.
I didn’t see any of the little birds at all in the late spring or in early June, so I thought my decision had been the right one, but in mid June, I caught one sitting on the edge of a tomato cage. It sat there for a good little while and then flew away. The next day I saw it again, in the same spot. I began to question not putting a feeder out. Did they need it after all?
Was it too late to put one out?
One morning before work, I went ahead and made some sugar water and when I got home, my hubby had put the feeder out. We had a visitor that afternoon and within a couple of days, we had at four at the same time. I felt both guilty for not putting it out earlier and relieved that we had because they apparently needed us after all.
God often uses nature to teach me life lessons. Those hummingbirds reminded me that we should never stop giving even when we think our giving is not appreciated or needed. We are called to simply do our part and let Him do the rest. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂