How the Hummingbirds Saved a Little Boy
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 (NIV)
Learn to listen! As a precocious child, I heard those words multiple times daily. To be very honest, I still struggle a little but over the years as a teacher, I learned to listen to my students. My discovery was that many times, what they did not say spoke louder than their words. This is an incredible devotion from All God’s Creatures by Lori Roeleveld.
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A little boy’s happiness was at stake. He was young, early elementary school age, but the adults around him were angry all the time.
I met Billy and listened to his mother talk about his strengths. He loved nature. Their wooded home was his sanctuary, and he adored, especially, the birds. Specifically, their hummingbirds. She described their plate-glass window filled with colorful feeders that attracted more than twenty of the busy hoverers at a time.
Her son was struggling, and she was weary. He was smart and engaged with nature. He knew everything about hummingbirds a person could know. But his teachers were often angry with him. He didn’t get along with his peers. School staff complained to her daily that he disrupted the class by squeaking. He repeatedly defied their instruction to stop making noise.
I observed him in his classroom and heard the sound. I understood the teachers, but I also noted their relentless irritation. So much pressure on a little boy! While he was still in school, I sat with his mom on her deck, and I heard the sound again.
Startled, I glanced around for Billy. “What’s wrong?” his mom asked.
“That’s Billy’s sound,” I said. “Why am I hearing it now?”
“I never realized,” she replied, “it’s the sound the hummingbirds make.”
I smiled. “He’s not being disruptive. He’s soothing himself with his favorite sound from home. Has Billy ever been tested for autism?”
I enjoyed the hummingbirds while Billy’s mom scheduled an appointment. Billy was right. The sound was a comfort and joy. And once the people around him understood Billy, they released their anger and learned to listen. That was when I learned that hummingbirds and listening were more likely to save and change lives than any amount of anger.
The first service one owes to others in a community involves listening to God’s Word, the beginning of love for others is learning to listen to them. Dietrich Bonhoeffer
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Loving Father, teach us to listen to those who are speaking without jumping to conclusions. Give us Your eyes and ears. AMEN.
Photograph by Michael Johnston