The smallest of mature birds, hummingbirds are incredibly agile and can hover, fly backward, and move in various directions. They are extraordinary creatures. Truly marvelous and beautiful creatures of God’s.
The Quechua people in Peru have a story about a hummingbird – The story of the Hummingbird and the Forest Fire. It goes like this…
One day a terrible fire broke out in the forest – a huge woodlands was suddenly engulfed by a raging wildfire. Frightened, all the animals fled their homes and ran out of the forest. As they came to the edge of a stream, they stopped to watch the fire and they were feeling very discouraged and powerless. They were all bemoaning the destruction of their homes. Every one of them thought there was nothing they could do about the fire, except the one little hummingbird.
This particular hummingbird decided that she would do something. She swooped into the stream and picked up a few drops of water and went into the forest and put them on the fire. Then she went back to the stream and did it again, and she kept going back, again and again and again. All the other animals watched in disbelief; some tried to discourage the hummingbird with comments like, “Don’t bother, it is too much, you are too little, your wings will burn, your beak is too tiny, it’s only a drop, you can’t put out this fire.”
And as the animals stood around disparaging the little bird’s efforts, the bird noticed how hopeless and forlorn they looked. Then one of the animals shouted out and challenged the hummingbird in a mocking voice, “What do you think you are doing?” And the hummingbird, without wasting time or losing a beat, looked back and said, “I am doing what I can; what are you doing?”
We lived in troubled times and we may feel overwhelmed or paralyzed. You may ask yourself what can I do? How can I make a difference?
Our Christian faith calls us to do what we can in our corner of the world. Our efforts matter. Our care matters.
We take our drop of water and carry it toward the fire.
God bless you.
