September 10, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Wednesday, September 10.
On my property, a mile outside the bustling metropolis of Tenaha, Texas, I have three, count ‘em three, hummingbird feeders. And I have two, count ‘em two, hummingbirds. Upon first glance, this would seem to be a recipe for an idyllic scene. Three feeders, no waiting. Perfect. But when you take my equation and factor in the fact that all hummingbirds are hyper-aggressive little maniacs - well, it’s whatever you call the opposite of idyllic.
The largest of the feeders is on my front porch, next to a tree. One of the two hummingbirds has made the life choice to spend his entire waking existence (do hummingbirds sleep?) sitting in this tree guarding the feeder. When the other hummingbird appears, the lurking assassin proceeds to perform a kamikaze-like dive bomb attack. This alarming scene is repeated dozens, no hundreds of times a day. In the meantime, the other two perfectly good feeders hang completely unoccupied.
It’s madness! Such a high level of competitiveness that, ultimately, stands in the way of satisfaction and success. Those crazy hummingbirds. I’m just glad that we humans don’t act like that. Oh wait. Now that I think about it, I’ve been guilty of that very behavior. Selfishness, envy, aggressive competitiveness. Maybe you have too, once or twice. And Facebook and other social media sites have raised the bar on the “grass is always greener”, “keep up with the Joneses” mentality.
The Apostle Paul was certainly not a perfect person. He had his share of conflicts with colleagues and co-workers, and certainly possessed a Type A, driven personality. But his words in Philippians 4:12 seem to indicate that Paul was aware of his faults, and had worked on them. They are truth for us this morning -
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
Now if I could only get this thought across to my hummingbirds!
Meet you back here tomorrow for a special devotion on the anniversary of 911.
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
