If You Build It They Will Come

This summer I bought my very first hummingbird feeder. A sea-green glass antique-looking feeder that appeared way more attractive than its cheaper plastic competitors and I felt certain every hummingbird in the vicinity would flock to its sweet nectar daily. Every day I lingered at the kitchen sink, my gaze pinned to the hanging ornamental feeder outside the window. Washing an unusual amount of dishes by hand, I tarried,   hoping to witness one of my favorite feathered friends take a drink, whir its tiny wings. While on vacation in July, after lamenting my still chock-full glass container, a few family members offered their advise. Hummingbirds like the color red they said. When we arrived home my husband tied a crimson-red ribbon around the base of the glass. Surely, they can't miss their food now. As the end of summer approached, and the nectar appeared untouched, we moved the feeder to the front porch, and replaced it with a hanging flower basket. Truth be told, I was disappointed and tired of waiting. Besides, I had other things to do than wait for a bird I told myself. The other day, laying on the sofa nursing my back, I chatted with my sister on the telephone. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye I finally saw one. Whirring its diminutive wings and dipping its long skinny beak, the pale green bird hovered right next to the red ribbon and took its fill. "Oh! That made my day!" I exclaimed. The hummingbird visited for just a short while, but my longing had been satisfied. My wait had come to an end. Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, "Waiting on God exercises your gift of grace and tests your faith. Therefore, continue to wait in hope, for though the promise may linger, it will never come to late." Thank-you, I whispered, into the faithful arms of hope. What might to the human eye appear as lacking, may actually be the beginning of the answer.