Lessons from the Hummingbirds

Posted on by Wendy
“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 🙂

 

Lessons from Annie

Posted on by Wendy
A rainy morning with my dog reminded me to always be patient and thankful.

One morning last week, it began pouring rain. I was so happy to hear it beating on my roof. We have desperately needed it.

When I sat down to eat my breakfast, my dog Annie, started fussing at me. She’s a husky mix and extremely opinionated and vocal. Normally, as soon as I sit down to eat, she starts vocalizing and then she starts barking to let me know that she would like to go out immediately, if not sooner. She goes out first thing, but she likes to go out a second time and run around with our other pup.

On most days, I comply and get up and let her out, but that day when she started, I told her “no.” She of course, sassed right back and I told her it was raining outside and she couldn’t go out. This went on for a few minutes and she finally stopped and began chewing on the leg of a kitchen chair. I told her to stop and she sighed and put her head down, pouting.

I marveled at her persistence and her bad attitude. I mean, I give her what she wants almost all of the time. Couldn’t she be a little more patient and grateful?

Then I chuckled at myself. She’s only a dog. She didn’t understand that I was trying to keep her safe and truly had no idea all what I do for her on a regular basis, beginning with rescuing her from the pound. All she knew was she couldn’t get what she wanted at that moment. Then I felt convicted.

I could almost hear a voice asking if I was much different than Annie.

How often does God provide for me? He provides Every. Single. Day. First of all, He rescued me from a fate much worse than the pound. 

How often do I just simply take for granted that I woke up, that I am well, that I have family, that I have friends, and a home, and food to eat or that I have a job. The list of His provision, is endless.    

Yet, when I don’t get what I want the minute I ask, like Annie, how quickly and loudly do I complain? Do I ever stop to ask if there’s a reason? Do I ever even consider that a Divine “no” might in fact, be for my greater good? How patient and grateful am I?

A rainy day conversation with Annie reminded me to be thankful for God’s provision, for His limitless patience and for His fresh mercies that He doles out so freely every single day. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Fig Tree Wisdom

Fig Tree Wisdom

Posted on by Wendy
As long as we are able, we are called serve.

We have had a major heat wave lately. It’s been in the triple digits and it’s only June. It’s also been incredibly dry with no rain in the forecast anytime soon. At 8:00 last night, it was still 96 degrees. As I was trudging through my dusty yard and watering some of my parched plants, my eyes rested on my fig tree.

It was green and covered with tiny green figs and it seemed completely untouched by the heat. I couldn’t remember when I watered it last and yet it was flourishing.

That magnificent, hardy tree came from a a small cutting from my hubby’s granddaddy’s tree, delivered by a cousin, years ago. I remember when she brought it thinking that it was awfully small and I wondered if anything would ever come of it. We planted it and watered it and nothing happened for a long time. It lived, but it didn’t really grow much at all and it certainly didn’t produce any fruit.

But, we kept watering it and feeding it and eventually it took off and began growing, but produced only a few figs. We kept doing our part and one summer it was absolutely full of sweet juicy figs and it produced two batches, one in the summer and one in the fall. It was a wonderful surprise.

The tree has continued to get bigger every year and produces even more fruit than the year before. And now in this oppressive heat it’s thriving. As I was looking at the many figs and comparing it to my wilting hydrangeas I was amazed at its resilience and I wondered about the original tree.

How old was it? Was it still living? Had my hubby’s granddaddy loved that tree? Had it been fruitful? Did they enjoy its fruit during the summer. Did they make preserves to enjoy all year long? What inspired his cousin to bring us a cutting?

I will likely never know any of the answers to my questions, but I am thankful that at some point, someone planted a tree and at another time, it was shared with us.

I am especially thankful as I look at its present abundance, that although it didn’t grow or produce for a long time, we felt led to water it and feed it. It reminds me that I should be more persistent with the people in my life who don’t seem to respond to my watering and feeding.

The Bible says, “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

That resilient, fruitful fig tree reminds me that we should never give up on praying for people, on being kind or on doing good. We are only called to do our part. God will do the rest in His time and His timing is always perfect. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

Pentecost Reminders

Posted on by Wendy
May the miracle of Pentecost remind us to wait on God and boldly speak of His wonders.

I was recently reading the account of Pentecost found in Acts 2. It’s a fascinating read. A room full of believers were in a room together. They were there because the risen Jesus had told them to go back to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit.

Many of these people had been with Jesus since the beginning of His ministry. They had witnessed the miracles and his gruesome death. They had mourned him and probably doubted, but they were also around for the very first Easter. They saw Him ascend to heaven, so these folks were more than willing to be obedient.

Most experts believe they waited for ten days. It must have felt like an eternity to them, but they waited.

The waiting in itself is something we could all learn from. We don’t like to wait. We are always in a hurry. When the red light turns green, if we don’t step on the gas, the person behind us starts honking their horn, but God’s way is different. 

The Old Testament is full of stories of people who were called to wait on God and when they did, they were always rewarded. 

The believers at Pentecost were rewarded too. The Spirit showed up in a roar and fiery looking tongues rested on them individually and they could speak in different languages.

The text says, “Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.“ Act 2:5

It goes on to say that all of those people could hear what was being said in their own language and they were bewildered. 

And what was being said?

They were declaring the wonders of God.

So, the Holy Sprit blasted onto the scene and gave all of those people who were obediently following Jesus’ command, the ability to speak about the wonders of God in a language that every single God-fearing Jew, from every nation, under heaven could understand.

Just ponder that for a moment. The believers waited and the Spirit showed up and a miracle occurred.

While most of the crowd below was amazed, as there always was and always will be, there were doubters.

Their scientific explanation was that they must have had too much wine. In other words, they were dunk.

Man has always attempted to explain away the miracles of God.

I’ve no doubt there were people who walked away from the truth that day. They walked away from hope and from redemption, the same way they do today, but around 3,000 became believers and their lives were forever changed. 

The story of Pentecost has so much meaning for us today. In a world full of impatience, we are called to wait. In a world full of doubt, we are called to believe. And we are always called to declare the wonders of God even when we think no one is listening. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 😊 

Psalm Reminders

Posted on by Wendy
We all have the opportunity to spread cool breezes when we listen to the Spirit’s prompting.

This past week has been a long one for me. First, my son was sick with a summer cold which he then passed on to me. We adopted a new pup who is absolutely adorable, but still a puppy and his acclimation to the family, especially to the other two pups, began a little rougher than we expected. 

I normally begin my day with some yoga and a daily Bible devotion, but this week has been all about treading water and avoiding any canine skirmishes, so there was no yoga and although I was usually able to stumble through a devotion, it was not without many interruptions.

I didn’t feel up to my lunch walk most of the week and by Thursday, which began unexplainably with the new pup, throwing up at 4:00 AM, I felt completely worn out and grumpy in general. I was praying about my mental state as I trudged to my office through the sprinkling rain and when I arrived at my desk, a Bible verse that I taped on my computer, months ago, caught my eye. It was from Psalms.

“Listen to my words, LORD, consider my lament. Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.“ Psalm 5:1-3

I really don’t even remember what prompted me to print it out, but I found it unbelievably appropriate for my situation and so I prayed it out loud and I felt a sense of peace come over me.

We were expecting thunderstorms that day, but the lunchtime weather was beautiful and I took a much needed walk. I was greeted with a delightful cool breeze and I was reminded of working on a roof in the summer heat on mission trips in the past, what a big difference a simple breeze can make when the air around you is stifling.

 I was also immediately reminded of the breezes of the week before. I had received a “Good Morning Sunshine,” text from a friend out of the blue and an unexpected “Just thinking about you,” text from another that resulted in lunch plans. One of my sweet cousins has started making social media posts of Christian encouragement that originate from seeing God in her garden that made me smile and one on pruning in particular, really spoke to me.

As I walked and prayed, God revealed to me that He had been using others to send cool breezes repeatedly during my stifling week and I felt both humbled to have missed them at the time and grateful that He pointed me to them. As the Psalm said, I cried for help and waited expectantly and as always, God provided.

He always does, but we often miss it. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 😊 

  

Have a Great Weekend!

Posted on by Wendy

Due to a short work week that was unbelievably hectic, I don’t have a post this week. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Wendy

Faith Like Grass

Posted on by Wendy
“The tiniest bit of faith can change everything.”

It was a dreary drive into work yesterday. The skies were gray and it was sprinkling rain. We have been having a dry spell and we really needed the rain so I tried to be thankful. But, as I hurried across the parking lot to my building, everything looked so gloomy that I was having a hard time staying positive.

About halfway across, my knee started aching and it caused me to look down and when I did, some green grass caught my eye. It was pushing up through the cracks in defiant contrast to the gloom. As I glanced around, there were more patches all over the lot. They made me smile.

I suspect that the people who are in charge of the maintenance of that lot, do not like that grass at all. They probably go to great lengths to get rid of it, yet against the odds, with sun and yes, enough rain, the grass finds a way to persevere.

That defiant grass stayed on my mind for the rest of the day. It reminded me of the faith that we so desperately need these days. Sometimes our circumstances seem so desperate that we believe our lives will never get better, but the tiniest bit of stubborn faith can make all the difference.

Jesus said, “You don’t have enough faith, I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there, and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” Matthew 17:20

In case you wondered, mustard seeds are tiny.

That parking lot grass reminded me that no matter how dark and gloomy our days may seem, a little faith can beat all of the odds. Sometimes I need reminding.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

The Call to Listen

Posted on by Wendy
What would happen if we chose to listen more than we talk?

As I take my daily lunch walk through the college campus where I work, I am always amazed at the amount of people walking around with earbuds. It’s as though even, a short amount of time not listening to what we actively choose to listen to, has become unacceptable.

It’s the same when I go to the grocery store. People are either listening to their chosen media or talking on the phone, even at the check-out.

It seems as a society, that we want to have constant control over our senses. We want to work at home and not be bothered with the aggravation of co-workers. We want to see only the opinions that agree with our own in the news and on social media and will quickly unfollow anyone who has a different point of view and often choose to insult them in the process.

As much as we all complained about the isolation created by Covid, we have in many ways, created our own isolation bubbles. When someone dares to try to circumvent the carefully built walls of our own opinions, people become defensive and sometimes irate.

In a recent daily devotion, I came upon these verses: “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” James 1:19-20  

They really hit home with me. Maybe all of the anger we see in the world around us is because we have intentionally stopped listening. We are really good at talking, but the listening part, not so much, so when we don’t feel like we are being heard, we just talk more and louder and that frustration feeds anger.

 What if we all were quick to listen and slow to speak? What would that look like? If we were listening more than talking, would we develop more empathy? Would we develop more patience? Would the rampant anger factor start to diminish? 

Maybe we would all learn a little something if we took out the earbuds and stopped scrolling and actually interacted and listened to the people who God has put in our paths. Maybe they are there for a reason. Maybe they have something to teach us. Maybe we have something to teach them.

If we don’t listen, we may never know. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy

Have a Great Weekend

Posted on by Wendy

It’s been a busy week for me. My son moved home from college for the summer and everyone at my job has been busy preparing for graduation. I’ve been covered up with all good stuff, but covered up just the same. I didn’t have any quiet time to write a post this week. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and are able to see glimpses of God in all you do. See you back here next week.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Having Enough Faith to Let Go

Posted on by Wendy
When we decide to let go and let God take the wheel, we better be prepared for excitement.

I am a planner by nature. I like to know what’s coming and have a bit of a handle on the future, but I suppose like everyone else, the last couple of years has changed that. Masks, lockdowns and constantly changing medical advice made me keenly aware that I could plan all that I wanted, but in the end, I had very little control over just about anything.

I spent my 50th birthday eating take-out with my family, but thankful that we were all well and together. It wasn’t what I would have planned, but one I will treasure all the same.

This past weekend, I celebrated my 52nd trip around the sun. My hubby and I decided to take a trip to Chattanooga and meet up with my daughter who recently moved to Nashville. To add to the fun, we decided to take our two dogs. We have never traveled with them before, but our daughter was really missing her dog.

I let her handle the details and at the last minute, our son was able to join us and what was originally a day trip with a hike, turned into an overnight trip with the two dogs and our two grown kids.

I didn’t plan the first detail; something pre-pandemic me would have never been okay with.

When the trail that we were going to hike was closed and we hadn’t had lunch yet, we ended up getting Chick-fil-A and eating it in the car and I couldn’t have been happier.

We took a family vote and ended up at Rock City, a touristy place with special family memories and we had a ball. It had been ten years since we visited. Our kids had been in elementary and middle school. We had just as much fun with grown up kids as we did back then and unbelievably, our completely unpredictable pups, behaved beautifully.

When we went to dinner at a place with a dog friendly deck, it wasn’t what I would have picked, but the food was delicious, and our pups behaved, although I felt like we had toddlers again.

When we returned to the car and tried to figure out where to go next, we saw the first round of fireworks explode into the air over the river. At first, we all grabbed our phones to try to find out what was going on, but I eventually rolled down my window and enjoyed a fabulous, 4th of July quality fireworks show.

As I later reflected on the many blessings of our trip, I was struck at how the best parts were completely unplanned. They were products of being open to something different that may have been better than what I could have possibly planned myself. It was a beautiful reminder of God’s plan for us. 

His plan is always infinitely better than we could ever plan for ourselves, even when it doesn’t seem that way. All I have to do is have some faith. Jesus said, the size of a mustard seed will do. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂