I’m not exactly an expert birdwatcher, but I enjoy watching
birds in my own yard. Lately, I think the tiny hummingbird has been giving me a
lesson about life. Isn’t it funny how God uses the smallest things sometimes to
teach us great big truths about trusting Him?
OK, here goes.
It seems I may be too easily drawn to things that are good,
even if they are not exactly what I think they are. And when I settle for
something that is only good, I may be missing something that’s even better.
Ever done this?
Consider the hummingbird. It’s fun to watch these fluttery,
flittery little winged creatures flicking back and forth from flowers to
feeders in my garden. They may look pretty plain at first glimpse. But when the
sun catches them, their iridescent details glimmer. It’s beautiful to see.
 |
| Hummingbird, Creative Commons CCO photo |
Once in a while, I start to admire such a visitor to my
patio, only to find with more careful examination that I am not staring at a
hummingbird at all. Yikes. It’s a hummingbird moth. And it’s not nearly the
same thing, even if it may appear to be.
 |
| Hummingbird Hawk-Moth with Pink Coneflower photo by Yusef
Akgul, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License |
Take a look.
The hummingbird moth, part of the Hemaris genus, looks and moves and sounds much like a hummingbird.
This little creature can hover over flowers and sip nectar, just as a
hummingbird would do. And they move so fast that it can be nearly impossible to
spot the difference.
Many people assume they’ve seen hummingbirds, but often they
are mistaken. There’s a whole lot of difference between a hummingbird and a
hummingbird moth, even if we cannot perceive it at first. I’m a big fan of little
hummingbirds, but I’m not really all that fond of moths.
 |
| Hummingbird, public domain photo |
I feel like there’s a
spiritual lesson here.
Possibly, lots of us try to wing it, gliding through life
without really paying attention. We might not even know what we are missing. Have
you heard the old expression that says a person has to grow sick and tired of
being sick and tired before he or she can be made well?
During His earthly ministry, Jesus asked a paralyzed man in
Bethesda about this very issue.
“When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he
had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, ‘Do
you want to get well?’ (John 5:6, NIV)
Then the Lord told the man to stand up, and the guy was
healed, after nearly 40 years of living with his crippling disability.
As a person living with multiple sclerosis (diagnosed a
decade ago), I would be the last person to fault that man for staying put and putting
up with a seemingly incurable condition for so very long. I am blessed and
grateful to be capable of ongoing physical mobility. I fully understand that
many who battle MS and other difficult medical disorders do not enjoy such
results.
On the other hand, I believe many of us can be lured into growing
satisfied with less-than-ideal conditions or choices, simply because we do not
stand up in the faith to look for God’s best answers to our prayers.
 |
| Hummingbird Moth with Blue Flowers, public domain photo |
Let’s go back to the hummingbird
moth.
Are we easily entranced by a look-alike moth, or do we
discern the difference and look to spot the actual hummingbird?
For many, the less-than-ideal draw is not about coming
through a lifelong medical problem. Often, the sickness with which we struggle
is sin itself. People can settle into the fleeting pleasures of sin for a
season (see Hebrews 11:25), rather than holding to God’s principles for His
greater plan for them. Or we might make hasty choices, instead of seeking His
direction. And we may end up in a spot that’s not exactly God’s best for us.
Isn’t that sort of like choosing to focus on the lowly
hummingbird moth, instead of waiting and watching for the lovely hummingbird?
We tend to be intrigued by cool things. We are drawn to
attractive and appealing and mysterious and elusive things like moths to a …
well, you know.
I have nothing against moths (unless they hover around my
reading lamp at night), but I’d rather watch beautiful hummingbirds. How about
you?
