The Nature of LoveSample

Cardinal

Do birds show love to each other?

The male cardinal does! Like an enthusiastic chef, a male cardinal encourages his mate to “Eat! Eat!” In the bird world this is known as mate-feeding, and it’s charming to watch.

He starts by selecting the plumpest of berries or the most savory seed, then hops over and gallantly tilts his head sideways to place it in the female cardinal’s beak. This can take place as often as four times a minute.

In the spring, he also participates in countersinging with his female companion. Unlike most birds, where only the male has the distinctive song, the male and female cardinals can sing equally well. In countersinging, the cardinals perch in different areas and sing to each other. One of them sings a phrase, and the other sings it back to his or her mate.

This is most women’s fantasy. A guy who will feed her sweet things and sing (or speak) lovely words to her. What’s not to love about that? We all like to be appreciated, admired, and talked to in an uplifting way. Why, then, is it oftentimes so hard to do? Why don’t we feed each other morsels of hope and encouragement? Why don’t we sing songs of love and approval to each other? Why do so many of us struggle with criticism?

What comes out of our mouths is a result of what’s in our hearts. “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” says Luke 6:45. What our minds dwell on and what emotions stir up in our hearts will inevitably come pouring out of our mouths. 

So how can we change this? Choose to stop focusing on the faults. Actively pay attention to what’s admirable. 

We can practice gratitude for our mates and dwelling on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable—or anything praiseworthy (see Philippians 4:8). Sometimes this might just be, “He takes out the trash.” Or, “She is a good mother.” But we can always find something praiseworthy in everybody. At first, this can feel false and unnatural. But so does going to the gym or beginning anything new. 

The latter part of that Philippians tells us why we want to pursue the positive: “. . . think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4: 8–9 niv). There it is: and the God of peace will be with you.

Are your relationships a little dark and chilly? Want more peace? Use the secret weapons of the cardinal—like feeding words of encouragement and sweet countersinging—and you’ll be surprised how fast love reignites and warms up hearts.

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I hope you enjoy these devotions, discovering God’s love in the heart of nature and finding rest from stresses in everyday life.

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