Parable of The Hummingbird Wars

Our house has a stone terrace across the front with lovely plants and shrubbery around the edges, thanks to the previous owners. With a glass-topped table and wrought-iron patio chairs, it makes a very pleasant place to sit and relax with a cup of coffee and a book.
Our breakfast table overlooks the terrace and we enjoy the view as we sit at mealtimes. My Joyce has placed a birdbath and several bird feeders about the area so we can watch the amazing variety of birds that come to feed and bathe almost year-around.

Another element she added, which has brought us many moments of fascination and joy, is a pair of hummingbird feeders. One of them she can see out the window as she works at the kitchen sink, and the other is just outside the window by the breakfast table. I’ve never seen so many of the tiny creatures from such close range.

It is mesmerizing to observe these little guys, about the size of my thumb, as they sometimes perch and sometimes hover, suspended in mid-air on almost invisible wings, and with perfect accuracy place a needle-like proboscis repeatedly into the heart of that plastic blossom.

When I’m outside at the patio table, and one of these feathered wonders visits the feeders there is the almost imperceptible sound of those beating wings that reminds me of Luke Skywalker from Star Wars, readying his light saber to do battle. I don’t know if that has occurred to anyone else, but that’s what it makes me think of.

There is one aspect of this creature’s habits, however, that I find a little upsetting. Like so many creatures in their natural habitats, the hummingbird is extremely territorial. It seems incapable of enjoying its existence when another of its species is in sight.

In my experience, no matter how many well-stocked feeders are in the vicinity, no matter how long a hummingbird has spent drinking its fill, it will still streak off to attack any fellow of its kind impertinent enough to invade its territory. Among these wee warriors there seems to be no concept of selfless sharing or generosity. This is survival of the fittest carried to extreme limits.

Now, of course, we’re accustomed to seeing this behavior among predators of all sizes and species. And when resources a re limited, competition for food and territory is considered natural. It just seems so unnecessary, though, when there is plenty of food and space to accommodate all.

As puzzling and thought-provoking as this trait is among the hummingbird community, it is much more disturbing to realize that it also occurs much higher in the food chain, among the human race. What is acceptable among carnivores, and, yes, even among harmless hummingbirds, is abhorrent among mankind.

Hardly a news day goes by that we fail to see reports of bullies, cheats, thieves and murderers attacking and taking things from others. Driving them away from their homes and property. Why? Not because they are without the necessities of life, but because they merely want more.

So many of our fellow humans are like the seagulls in the movie Finding Nemo, who, when they spot a fish on the pier, all rush forward crying, “Mine!” “Mine!” “Mine!” Human nature seems to program us to think, “First come, first served,” and that the biggest and meanest gets the most.

As you go about your daily routine today, are you going to fight the hummingbird wars, insisting upon having your way and serving yourself, no matter at whose expense? Or are you going to be thoughtful of others, patient, helpful, loving, and generous with your resources?

As Believers we have been given the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. It is our mission to share what we have earned and what we have been given, as a means of attracting others into the Kingdom of Heaven when we each are called in our time. After all, there’s plenty for each of us.