Lessons from Little Flutters | Slow Living Journal

     Hummingbirds are one of my favorite species of birds. Seeing one is enough at times to send a thrill through me and make me gasp in delighted awe. They are an amazing part of God’s creation! So tiny and fast and yet so peaceful. Just hearing the rush of their wings or the more distant squeak of their high-pitched chirp can put a smile on my face and turn my head in search of the little beauty. Ready to enjoy some hummingbird loveliness and see if the little flutterers can teach you something?

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

Matthew 10:29

1. Hummingbirds Are Little Teachers

God gave us beautiful creatures such as the hummingbird for us to enjoy and find pleasure in. They’re also His handiwork to make us stop and look at Him in awe and worship for what He did. And they’re something more than that. They have lessons for us to learn. Yes, the hummingbird, tiny as it is, can teach us something. I think it fits right in with slow and simple living.

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Revelation 4:11

So relax, take that rocking chair there on the front porch next to me, and we’ll watch for hummingbirds together. Last year when I sat on the porch having devotions some spring mornings, I sometimes saw hummingbirds visiting the sage bushes in our rose garden. It’s neat to see them getting nectar from something my family planted! So let’s visit quietly and keep our eyes open for glimpses of God’s little birds.

2. The Hummingbird Trusts Its Creator

Did you know that hummingbirds are little miracles? Their heart rate can run more than 1,200 beats per minute throughout the day as they are active. They would freeze to death if it stayed that high when they rest at night, but God planned it out perfectly. A hummingbird’s resting heart rate can be 50 or less beats per minute. What a drastic switch to go through every day! As someone who sometimes notices a change with only about 20 points difference and starts to feel unwell, I find this fascinating. God made the little hummingbird’s bodies to accomodate.

Hummingbirds are fast. It’s mind-boggling how active they are. Depending on the species, they flap their wings anywhere from 10 to 80 times per second. Not per minute. Second. Doesn’t that make you tired simply to think about it?

And yet, have you ever seen a tired hummingbird? They are agile and nimble, but there is something very peaceful about them. Their movements are smooth—seemingly effortless.

Could it be that the length of our to-do lists and how fast we work to accomplish things are not the only factors in how peaceful we are as we go about our day? I think so. The hummingbird has a high metabolism and has to eat a lot throughout the day. It flies rapidly from one place to the next doing what God designed it to do. And yet busy as it is, an atmosphere of peace goes with it throughout its tasks.

The hummingbird doesn’t try to fill the role of a sparrow, hawk, or chickadee. It doesn’t even try to fill the role of two hummingbirds. Each hummingbird faithfully fulfills what the Creator gave it to do, and it leaves everything else in the hands of its Creator. Hummingbirds have to fly from flower to flower gathering their food. But they don’t make the flowers grow. They don’t send the rain on the sage bushes or cause the sun to shine. All of that is in their Creator’s hands, and they’re content with it that way—content to fly from one place to the next, busy and happy.

3. A Peaceful Mindset

What about me? What about you? Sometimes it seems there aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything we need to do. Maybe that means we are trying to fill someone else’s role. Maybe we haven’t sought the Lord about what His role is for us. One thing is sure, God never gives us more jobs to do than what He gives us the time and energy for. And He didn’t make us with the capability of rushing around at eighty movements per second!

Rushing can take place more than just outwardly. We may be sitting still and yet not be calm and peaceful on the inside. And living a peaceful life does not mean you can’t be very busy. Just look at the hummingbird! And even more importantly, look at the Savior, Who faithfully went about His Father’s business.

And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?

Luke 2:49

A lot of what determines whether or not we live in an atmosphere of peace is what we are thinking about. Are we mulling over our to-do lists, wondering how we can get it all done? Are we going over our list of worries and problems, futilely trying to come up with answers?

Or are we focusing on God’s greatness, His strength, and the fact that He is in control? Are we resting in Him, content to do the current task He has given us in His strength and to leave everything else in His capable hands? It makes all of the difference in the world.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.

Isaiah 26:3-4

The hymn, Take Time to Be Holy, fits well with the hummingbird’s peaceful lifestyle and with the life God wants us to live, resting in Him.

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;

Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.

Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,

Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;

Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.

By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;

Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;

And run not before Him, whatever betide.

In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,

And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,

Each thought and each motive beneath His control.

Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,

Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

~William D. Longstaff

Be calm in thy soul. Be like the hummingbird, dependent upon your Creator, trusting and childlike in your faith. Rest in the Lord. In His strength, do what He has called you to do, and leave the weight of the world in His hands. Don’t worry; He can fully handle it and a whole lot more. God takes care of the sparrows, the hummingbirds, and you!

4. The Hummingbird’s Security

Another thing we can learn from the hummingbird is to spend more time outside! There are few things that can lower our stress levels more than spending time out in the fresh air of God’s world. Also, as I’ve heard it said, we are reminded of just how small we and our problems are when we get outside where the trees are so tall that they shrink other things down to scale.

Speaking of shrinking things down, the hummingbird is a tiny creature, yet it doesn’t let that stop it from doing what it was made to do. Instead of comparing itself or focusing on its inferiority, it simply and faithfully does what it was made to do. It has a great Creator, and it is content in His provision and care.

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Matthew 6:25-26

If God takes care of the birds (including the hummingbirds) how much more will He take care of us? We may struggle with comparing ourselves to others, feeling like we aren’t good enough and worrying about things. Or we can look to our great God and ask Him to help us with His limitless strength, trusting Him to handle everything and give us the grace we need each day come what may.

Simple Takeaway

1. The hummingbird is busy, but it is only busy doing its own role, regardless of what others are doing.
2. To be at rest, we must have a peaceful mind, focused on God and trusting in Him.
3. Our great Creator takes care of the birds; how much more will He take care of me and you?

Let’s Chat!

     Did you learn anything about the hummingbird today? What lesson from these little birds was most meaningful for you?

     Until next time, look for hummingbirds, and trust your Creator!

In Christ,

Bethany