The Hummingbird Seeks Freedom

Looking into my garden room, I saw a hummingbird flitting about. It was a lovely little thing with its whirring wings and frantic curiosity. It darted back and forth exploring the silk plants, the print on the chair cushion, the shiny crystal hanging in the window. But it finally seemed to realize that it didn�t belong in the garden room. It began trying to find its way out.

The garden room is unsealed, with open rafters beneath the translucent roof. There is a door in each of the three exterior walls. The upper half of each wall is glass. The little bird could see where it was supposed to be but seemed unable to find the way out. It flew against the ceiling with such force that I was afraid that it would break a wing. One of the doors was open, but it didn�t seem to realize that. Over and over it continued to fly back and forth between two of the rafters as it repeatedly attempted to escape through the roof. I could tell that it was using too much of its energy reserve.

In an effort to help it find its was out, I got a long handled soft brush and tried to guide it to the door. Each time, as it neared the way to freedom, it swooped under the brush and back to the top of the rafters. After many attempts, I abandoned that approach

By this time the tiny little thing was panting, completely exhausted. I knew that hummingbirds have to eat frequently due to their high metabolism. I got the hummingbird feeder and hung it in the open doorway in an effort to entice it to the way out. But it only sat on top of the rafter and drooped from the exertion. I decided to leave it alone for a while.

Soon it was getting dark. I turned on the lights outside the door, and turned off all the inside lights. Maybe it would be drawn to the light. No response. It just sat alone and helpless. I went to bed.

The next morning I was afraid that I would find it dead, but there it was still sitting in a dazed state on a rafter. I opened all the doors and went to prepare my breakfast. When I checked on the hummingbird again, it was gone. It had found its way to freedom and life

As I sat drinking my coffee, I mused. Aren�t we humans a lot like that hummingbird? We get into situations where we don�t belong. We explore this and dapple in that before we finally realize that we are trapped. Then frantically we try to find our own way out of that desperate situation�drugs, alcohol, counseling, golf, job advancement, television�all requiring effort, but not the way out.

All the time the door is open. We just don�t see it. God sends Christian friends to help, the Holy Spirit to guide us, His Word to feed us, but we want to do it our way. Sometimes adversity comes to sweep us back to God, but we find a way around it. Then we sit lonely, dejected and weary, thinking that no one cares.

Jesus said, "I set before you an open door." How long will we beat our wings among the rafters, when we could be soaring with the eagles?