“Look at the birds of the air . . .”  Jesus

“To watch a hummingbird is to witness joy in motion.”  Unknown

“Hummingbirds hum in the garden like little jewels in flight.”  Mary Oliver

Hello again beloved Child of God.  I don’t know who or how many people read this blog on a regular basis, but I’m glad that YOU do!  My hope is that it provides a bit of inspiration for your day or week, and helps you to consider and contemplate matters concerning God and The Christ.

The last two blogs have been pretty heavy—so today I’m going to lighten it up a bit by writing about hummingbirds.

“What can I learn from a hummingbird?”

That was the question I was asking myself the last few mornings as I sat on my front deck watching the little imps frolic as they feed.  They are fascinating little creatures.  They are able to hover like mini helicopters.  Their wings beat thousands of times each minute, fifty times per second, they have incredible memories, and can fly hundreds of miles at one time.

All of these facts are interesting, but the real magic of hummingbirds comes from merely watching them.  They are mesmerizing as they swoop into the feeder and hover there delighting in the sugary drink, and then flit off to do whatever it is they have to do. 

In the above passage from Matthew 6 Jesus invites us to “look” at the birds of the air.  The word He uses actually means to consider carefully, or contemplate them.  It seems as if Jesus is inviting “bird watching” to be a spiritual practice.  And indeed, it is.

Watching hummingbirds is a very spiritual practice.  It is contemplative and meditative.  Somehow these little lovelies are able to draw one into the present moment and ponder the miracle of life, and the miraculous hand of God which somehow fashioned these tiny feathered creatures.  The desire to know about these birds disappears, and all that matters is getting lost in the lovely dance that they seem to be performing for the delight of the person watching them.  Sometimes they even will fly close to me, as if sending a greeting or maybe thanking me for watching their performance.

Sometimes these beautiful little birds get aggressive with one another, which seems to be so out of character for them.  There is one specifically that seems to enjoy guarding the feeder and chasing the others away.  Next year I have to get at least one more feeder in order to thwart this little bullies’ efforts.

It is so easy to get lost in this contemplative practice of sitting with the hummingbirds.  Truly the cares and worries of the world seem to dissipate, flit and fly away like these little creatures themselves.  It is easy to ponder one’s own life, as well as that of these beautiful birds.  I wonder if they have families?  Where do they sleep at night?  What do they do when they’re not drinking sugar?  Are they aware somehow of the pleasure and joy that they provide to those watching them?  One’s heart is filled with wonder, awe, and gratitude for a God who would take such delight in creation that He would cause such little creatures to be part of it.  Here I pause and give thanks for these little gifts, packaged in such simple beauty.

And now it is starting to get light, so I’m going to stop writing.  I have to go watch the hummingbirds.