Blind Faith

Like a Stunned Hummingbird

Blind Faith  (No. 36, 2008)

Weekly Devotional for September 4, =
2008

        Another bird-on-deck parable:

        When my wife, Sherron, and I had our deck built, we replaced =
large floor-to-ceiling double windows with a triple-wide patio door =
leading onto the deck.  The expanse of glass both floods the den =
with natural light and offers a broad view of the deck and sights =
beyond.  A pleasant feature right outside the window on the deck is =
a potted salvia plant.  We always have salvia there, because its =
brilliant red blossoms are favorite feeding stops for =
hummingbirds.  Elsewhere in the yard, we have tree-form hibiscus =
plants, with double crimson blossoms that also are natural hummingbird =
diners.  As a result, we get to enjoy frequent visits by =
hummingbirds with different patterns of coloration.  Our favorites =
are the ones with green feathers on their backs, black wings and heads, =
and gray across the breast.  Sherron is always excited to report =
visits by hummingbirds to the salvia, clearly observable from the den, =
as they hover amazingly for their in-flight draughts of nectar.  We =
have even been buzzed a time or two by hummingbirds when we were =
outside, apparently at their mealtime.

        Last Sunday, we were finishing cups of coffee after lunch when =
Sherron spotted a hummingbird at the salvia, letting me know that we had =
a visitor.  Just a couple of minutes later, we heard a sharp THUD =
against the glass of the patio door.  "What was that, the =
hummingbird?" I asked.  Sherron got up from her chair across =
the den from the door, and looked out mere inches from the glass.  =
"O, my!  Yes!" she said.  A hummingbird lay sprawled =
out on the deck, lying on its back, its wings extended and its head =
skewed at an unnatural angle to its body.  Its tail feathers =
twitched erratically, either blown by gusts of wind on the breezy =
afternoon, or involuntarily as the little bird lay in obvious =
distress.  "I think its neck is broken," Sherron said. =
"What should we do?"  Although I love hummingbirds, I was =
not anxious to incur the expense of neurosurgery and NICU veterinary =
care for our visitor, nor did I want to make its condition worse by =
moving the at-least-dazed bird.  "Let’s give it some =
time," I replied, "and see what becomes of =
it."

        Sherron noted the time of impact.  She went out onto the =
deck through the door in the kitchen to water other plants on the =
deck.  While on the deck, she took a long, close look at the =
motionless hummingbird.  From the stairs of the deck, she could see =
the probable cause of the hummingbird’s catastrophic collision.  =
The early afternoon light caused the door glass to reflect the deck and =
the sky with mirror clarity.  She could not see into the den from =
outside.  Apparently, the hummingbird had drunk its fill at the =
salvia, then assumed it was taking a perfectly clear flight path — =
right into the door glass, with disastrous results.

        Stepping back into the kitchen, Sherron  walked to the den =
for another vantage point.  To her surprise, the hummingbird had =
begun to move its head back and forth to one side, and to move its wing =
on that side.  She returned to the kitchen to warm another cup of =
coffee for 90 seconds in the microwave.  When she returned to the =
den, the hummingbird was sitting up on its feet!  It turned its =
head tenuously side to side.  It fluttered its wings, although it =
did not take flight or lift from its perch on the deck floor.  The =
tiny bird simply sat for about five minutes, seemingly trying to regain =
its wits.  Occasionally, it would look quickly  to either =
side.  Then, twenty five minutes after the unsettling collision, =
the hummingbird took a hop, its wings beating at blurring speed, and it =
fluttered and flew away!  Sherron said that she had committed the =
hapless bird into God’s care some time before.

        Hear the parable of the stunned hummingbird.  It is not =
intended to be an allegory, in which each element in the story stands =
for some feature of the readers’ lives.  Allegorical =
interpretations are applied to almost all parables, but the entirety of =
the story in the parable is often the most powerful message.

        Our hummingbird suffered its injury through no faulty judgment or =
misconduct.  It apparently saw what looked like a perfectly safe =
path to fly on its way to another feeding flower, or perhaps back home =
after a satisfying meal.  But the image of open sky concealed the =
unyielding glass, and its natural flight speed created an impact that =
left the beautiful hummingbird stunned and utterly helpless.  =
Fortunately, God so gifted living things with regenerative energies and =
abilities, that after a period of anxious rest, the diminutive bird =
resumed its wondrous hovering and flitting flight.

        Sometimes, calamities happen in our lives that have no =
ill-intention, whatsoever, as their cause.  No malice, no =
negligence, no self-serving ambition, no animosity, no lapse in judgment =
creates the catastrophe, it just happens.  We may be left stunned, =
disoriented, disabled, or worse.  We wonder if we can =
survive.  Thanks be to God, we may find that some quiet moments in =
God’s care allow new possibilities to regenerate, and our lives can =
resume.

        A Psalm of David - who was afflicted both by trouble of his own =
making, the ill intentions of others, and some things that just happened =
- testifies to the secret to regaining life in the face of =
disaster.  David wrote of the need to simply sit still in God’s =
care for awhile: " God is our protection and our strength. He =
always helps in times of trouble. {2} So we will not be afraid even if =
the earth shakes, or the mountains fall into the sea, {3} even if the =
oceans roar and foam, or the mountains shake at the raging sea…. {10} =
God says, ‘Be quiet and know that I am God….’ {11} The LORD =
All-Powerful is with us; the God of Jacob is our defender." (Psalm =
46:1-3, 10a, 11 NCV)  Our hearts may race anxiously as we try to =
sit still in God’s care and trust his design and grace to restore us, =
but his record of restoration is proven.

        Of course, many disasters happen due to our own wayward =
schemes.  In the cartoons, Wile E. Coyote schemed to catch Road =
Runner by painting an apparent railroad tunnel on the side of a rock =
cliff.  Coyote would lay railroad tracks leading to the rock face, =
expecting Road Runner to come speeding along the tracks, smashing into =
the image of the railroad tunnel.  What happened most often, =
however, was that Wile E. Coyote would chase Road Runner along the bogus =
tracks, forgetting that the tunnel was just a painted image, and smash =
in to the rock himself.  Or, he would think he had Road Runner =
cornered against the rock face, only to have a locomotive emerge from a =
real tunnel and flatten him on the tracks.  Sometimes, we set the =
stage for our own catastrophes.

We are instructed in the scriptures to =
do all we can to avoid getting ourselves into calamitous situations we =
can avoid.  Paul cautions followers of Jesus to wake up, to be =
alert, to realize that dangers lurk around us, especially endangering =
our living consistent lives that display the love and grace of =
Christ.  He writes, " Watch your step. Use your head. Make the =
most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! Don’t live =
carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master =
wants. (Ephesians 5:15-17, The Message)  God’s quiet care is =
always available, even when we get ourselves into a jam.  His =
intention for us, though, is to be attuned to his way of love and grace, =
and to make every effort to stay out of trouble.

Have you crashed and burned?  Did =
it just happen to you, in spite of your best judgment and =
intentions?  Or, did you set yourself up for disaster?  In =
either case, the most powerful restorative answer comes from Psalm 46: =
"Be still, and know that I am God."  Resting awhile in =
his care may be exactly what you need to put you back on your =
wings.