In His Time, Or, How I Turned Into the Weird Hummingbird Lady

Ever since we moved into this house, I wanted to have a hummingbird feeder.

We had one at our old house, but it was in an awkward place...making it difficult to actually see the birds eating. We would hear and see them buzzing around, but it was rare to get to see them at the feeder.

So, I got a feeder this year and put it up and...

NO BIRDS.

Areyoukiddingme?

Now, our neighbors down the street are older...and by that I mean that they are OLDER THAN ME. How I know this is that they have a flag pole out in their front yard, a windmill thing in their back yard...and bird houses all over the place. I mean, right? 

Also, they work in their yard ALL.THE.TIME. and they have tons and tons of flowers. I'd bet my life-savings $5 that they have hummingbird feeders, too.

You'd think there'd be birds around here, right? I mean, of ALL PLACES for a hummingbird to want to go, I would think it would be their place. And, from there, we are just two yards away. 

But...we've seen no hummingbirds at all. 

We have tons of other birds: purple martins, cardinals, blue birds, sparrows...and several other cute, little birds. We've also seen crows, and I hate them with a passion and do my very best to make lots of racket outside until they get bored with trying to land in our yard and go somewhere else.

I'm not crazy, I promise.

We have been watching for hummingbirds for weeks and weeks. Honestly, I'd pretty much given up that we would have any...until the other day. We were sitting at our kitchen table during lunch, and Jim gasped and said, "Moose...that might be your bird."

Y'all know he calls me Moose, right? Actually, he calls me THE Moose. Not "honey," "baby," "sweetie"...but, MOOSE. 

THE Moose.

Attractive, right?

So, anyway, I rush to look out the window...no birds. And we watch and watch and watch...still nothing.

But then the other night, we were sitting in our living room when I saw a flash fly by the window. We both jumped up and looked out the window (actually, I jumped up. Jim was sitting in his chair right by the window, so he just pulled the curtain back a little more so he could see). Sure enough! Houston, we have a hummingbird!

I was so happy. I spent the better part of 30 minutes trying to get a good picture of them with my phone...and then with the camera, all the while trying not to startle them. The feeder is just right off of our covered porch area. But my phone is not great at taking pictures thru a dirty, splotchy window, so none of them have turned out so far.

I need to get my housekeeper to wash the windows around here.

Oh wait.

I AM the housekeeper around here. BOO.

Anyway, we watched that one bird until it got dark that night. I don't know why in the world this makes me so happy...but it does.

It's like I don't even know who I am anymore. 

It's like in a matter of days, I went from normal me...to: "Hi, I'm Marty. I just turned 99 and I watch hummingbirds." 

I got up early the next morning and looked outside the first thing. What I saw made me even happier: a different hummingbird!

OH JOY! There are TWO! This.is.awesome.

But then, do you know what happened? Yep. They started fighting. I remember my mother-in-law telling me how territorial hummingbirds are. We noticed one would eat a little, and then sit on the stem of one of Jim's flowers for a long time. Waiting and watching. When another hummingbird would come by, they would both fly into the air...each one trying to keep the other one from the feeder.

You know what it reminded me of? Those scenes like in a James Bond/Jason Bourne type of action movie...where the bad guy jumps out of the plane, and the good guy barrels out right after him...and they fight in mid-air while they are free-falling...over and under and over and under.

You know what else it reminded me of? ME.

So many lessons in life. So many ways God teaches me by using the simple, every day things. Like, how I give up too easily. Or how something I thought I wanted did not turn out the way I thought. Or how I should live every day with expectation...looking for HIM and listening to what He is trying to say. Or how some things are worth fighting for. Or how there's good in the struggle. Or how we sometimes fight to keep things we should share.

I don't know. Maybe it's just me.

I feel like I'm a pretty patient person. I've had to do a LOT of waiting in my life...bet you have, too. I'm waiting on some things right now. But sometimes things take too long to show themselves or work out or whatever...and I give up. Little by little, I quit watching for God to reveal Himself. I quit expecting He will work it all out for His purpose and His glory. Before long, I am numb by the disappointment, and I don't even remember what I was watching and waiting FOR. 

And then when and if something happens...I'm surprised. Seriously? 

I guess that's a centuries-old problem. People looking for the Messiah almost missed Him when He came because they had either given up on Him ever coming...or they were looking for a "different" kind of King. Abraham and Sarah stopped waiting for God to complete His promise to them. They took things into their own hands and it got messy. Even tho God gave them the child He had promised, their actions complicated things for...well, forever. Am I right?

And the Bible has example after example of that. We never learn, do we? It's all in HIS time. 

This was written on a card I have:

"When the time was right,

...the sea parted

...the wall fell down

...the lions went hungry

...the sun stood still

...the waves were calmed

...the stone was rolled away

...the clouds parted

...the Lord ascended

And when the time is right, the King of Kings will return."

Isn't that so good?

Today I stand amazed at the blessing and fullness of God...for a young couple who has WAITED and HOPED and PRAYED for years. Today...their arms are full.

Never stop waiting...hoping...dreaming...expecting. When the time is right, and if it is in God's will, it will happen.

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12