BIRDWATCHER

BIRDWATCHER

I am a bird watcher and fascinated by hummingbirds. Three years ago, my fascination was rewarded with the arrival of 4 ruby-throated hummingbirds to our backyard. I spent hours getting to know them – not by talking to them but by watching. Observation and research helped me to distinguish genders and I learned that males will defend their territory. I observed that the long narrow like straight bill is efficiently designed to sip nectar from a bloom or feeder. They loved frolicking, feeding and entertaining me, my reward for feeding them.

The poet, Maya Angelou, shared these words with Oprah during an interview in 1997, “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.”  Note that Poet Angelou didn’t say “when people say or tell you who they are, believe them the first time.” Her life experiences had taught her to believe actions are more reliable than words. That is not to say words have no value.  Many of us were taught, “Your word is your bond.” Words and actions ought to be a couple. If they are separated – give me actions. Making an adequate assessment in relationships often requires multiple interactions.

Hummingbirds, who live about five years, have an incredible memory, and will often return to the same area year after year. “My” birds and I had two wonderful years and then life got in the way during the third summer. I failed the birds. I wasn’t diligent with keeping the feeders filled with clean nectar and often times they came to eat and the feeders were empty. I can’t tell you the number of times I said to my husband or he to me, “The food needs changing, or the feeder needs filling,” and neither happened. Words and action separated. Thus far this summer, I’ve had a lone infrequent visitor. My visitor is not a ruby-throated bird. Because of their memory, they are close but feeding on someone else ‘s homemade nectar. My actions showed them I couldn’t be trusted.

Most often, words– which maybe specious (misleading) or self-serving, become our chief barometer for assessing our interactions with others. When words and actions don’t align – supporting another idiom, “Actions speak louder than words,” remember Maya’s instruction, no matter how long you have known them.  “My” hummingbirds didn’t hear the conversations between me and my husband. My actions showed them who I was initially and redefined me last year. With only the most recent actions as a reference, they have decided to seek sustenance elsewhere.

Trust once fractured is hard to repair. I have replaced an old worn feeder with a beautiful new one and filled them with food. It is mid-August and soon the birds will begin the twelve-hundred-mile migration south. I now live with the consequences of my actions.

Thankfully, we have been blessed with two eyes and two ears, learn to balance their use in our relationship with others. As for me, I would rather be shown love, truth and trust than told about it any day. “My” hummingbirds must feel the same way.

James 3:13

PONDER THIS THOUGHT— Seek to be guarded and guided by what you SEE and what you HEAR.