A Hummingbird Gospel

I cannot tell you how much I love it when God reveals Himself in the most mundane of circumstances. In Scripture we are told that all of creation tells the story of His pursuit and great rescue of mankind. Friday I had a powerful lesson about God through the tiniest of things--a hummingbird.

Thursday night around 8pm, we found a hummingbird trapped in our garage. He had apparently flown in while the door was up and could not get back out. We left the door completely open and assumed he would fly towards the flood lights in the driveway and get back out the way he had come in.

The next morning, I was surprised to find him right where we left him. It was 10 hours later and yet he was still there, flying against the same general place in the ceiling, repeatedly bumping his little head. It wasn't working, but he kept at it just the same. It reminded me of the way I behave sometimes. A pattern of behavior or thought may yield the same type of negative result, but I keep returning to it and metaphorically beating my head against the wall. Why is it often so hard to find the way out?

I tried to lure him towards the wide opening of the garage door with an old hummingbird feeder I had. I also opened a pedestrian door on the side of the garage and hung the largest red thing I could find--R's Georgia football helmet--right at the opening. As I looked around my cluttered garage, I realized there were many other brightly colored things. With so many distractions, it was not going to be easy to keep his attention focused on the exits. Again, I was reminded of the challenges we face in this world staying focused on important things amidst all the competition for our attention.

I decided to close the large garage door and leave him only one option. It was the much narrower route through the pedestrian door, but it seemed to be an easier route to push him towards. The image of the 'narrow gate' struck me. I tried to 'shoo' him out with a broom, but he was obviously tired and feeble. I was afraid I was going to kill him trying to save him.

I quickly researched 'hummingbird stuck in garage' on google and found several rescue stories. There were very creative techniques outlined that involved flashlights and total darkness, but it was morning. My little friend would not live to see another night fall without intervention. The articles I read explained that the hummingbirds frequently fly into open garages because of the bright red emergency release pulls that dangle from strings in most garages. The hummingbirds mistake them for trumpet flowers---and become trapped. Again, I could identify with my little feathered friend. I, too, have been lured in--only to find something was not as it seemed once I was in.

A hummingbird's nature is to fly up and back, so trying to fly forward and down (to clear the garage door) is very difficult for them. I realized that my little hummingbird friend could not figure it out on his own. If only I could morph into a hummingbird and tell him--or better yet show him the way out. He needed a rescuer, for he could not save himself--and his little clock was ticking. He was going to die trying unless someone saved him.

My kittens had already become very aware of this little visitor. They lurked around below the action, waiting on the ground for his seemingly imminent demise. What a picture of the predatory nature of much of this world--watching for the weak to fall so they can capitalize on it.

I opted for a ladder and a plastic storage container. The hummingbird was hovering in one area, still banging his head against the ceiling. I used the container to 'catch' him against the ceiling, then slid the top on. It wasn't nearly as glamorous or creative as many of the techniques on the web, but it worked!

The hummingbird was terrified. In his fear, his activity increased. The hummingbird needed a savior and I was trying to rescue him, but he did not understand that. His struggle threatened his life. He felt trapped, but I knew it was necessary for his survival. I was honestly afraid his fight was going to kill him before I could make the 4-5 second walk down the ladder and out of the garage to freedom.

Just as I was walking outside the garage he stopped moving. He seemed to give up. In an instant I lifted the top off the container and he was able to see the clear, endless sky. Reinvigorated, he sprang to life and flew straight up to the top of the highest tree branch around. His fortune had changed. His bondage had been overcome. He was free.

As he left I almost cried. I rejoiced that he was free--but I was moved at the countless lessons God had taught me through that tiny little creature in my dirty garage. What a memorable expression of the Gospel. Truly, He chooses the weak things of the world to shame the strong!