AUGUST

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. -Philippians 4:13

This is my Mama Pam, and she is worth more than gold.  I met her the beginning of my freshman year at Berry in 2009.  Through the Lord's intervention we became close pretty quick, and hummingbirds will forever remind me of her sweet gentle spirit.  I asked her to share about the meaning behind the hummingbird and the verse included in this month's painting.  Below is what she wrote:

"When Emily (my “spiritual daughter”), sent me a picture of a watercolor that she was including in her calendar and explained that she was dedicating this image to me, I felt deeply humbled and honored by her kind gesture.  That is also how I feel about her invitation to share my story about God and hummingbirds for her August devotional.  

Since the springtime of 2002, God has used hummingbirds to remind me of His comforting presence and unfailing love.  It has become His way to give me encouragement when I greatly need it, and to fill my heart with delightful joy.  I will never forget the first time He sent a live hummingbird to minister to me.  I was on the phone talking to a dear friend in Texas about my upcoming mastectomy.  Suddenly, she started to sob, and she explained that a hummingbird was looking in her kitchen window and its appearance was very meaningful to her.  Starting in her childhood, God had used hummingbirds to let her know He was watching over her.  She told me it was the first one she had seen that year, and because she didn’t have a feeder out yet, she knew it was a sign from God letting us know He was going to take care of me.  

At dinnertime that same day, God confirmed that it was a sign from Him in an amazing way.  He sent a hummingbird to hover at our kitchen window too.  The hummingbird came several times, and our dinner guests marveled at its appearance and commented on how strangely it was acting -- it looked like it was doing a little dance for us.  

When I saw the hummingbird looking in the window, I immediately knew that it was a supernatural occurrence.  Because, in the two years that we had resided in Georgia, we had never seen a hummingbird in our yard.  Consequently, there had never been one looking at us through our kitchen window -- we didn’t even own a feeder! 

From that day forward, in wonderful, miraculous ways, God has continued to use hummingbirds to remind me that He is a personal, loving God that “sees” us.  That He is fully aware of everything that transpires in our life (the good and the bad), and that He will faithfully keep His promise to always be with us.  So, whenever you see a hummingbird, I hope that you will remember my story and will be joyfully encouraged by this beautiful appearance of God’s love.  

I also appreciate that Emily placed my ‘life verse”, Philippians 4:13, prominently in this painting.  This verse is a strong reminder that it is through our constant connection to Christ that we are strengthened and empowered. The first words in this verse are “I can”, which is a confident affirmation of our belief that Christ will provide the strengthening power to equip us to fulfill all the things He will call us to do. "

-Pamela Bissonnette