Freedom

Yesterday Richard was out working in his shop. We call it a shop but there is no shopping involved. It is a man cave in the making. Richard is putting the finishing touches on it to make all his man toys readily accessible. He was doing some painting and all the while watching cable television. Of course he ran cable to the shop, what man cave would be complete without it?

After awhile Richard came inside the house and reported that a hummingbird had made it's way into the shop and couldn't seem to find it's way back out. The shop has a garage door that he had raised and a side door that he opened. So there was plenty of room for a tiny hummingbird to make it's exit. The ceiling in the shop is extra high and the poor little bird kept flying close to the ceiling not realizing just a few feet down was open space leading to the great outdoors that an elephant could fit through.

Richard trying to help the little creature escape, took a broom and tried to herd birdie to freedom. Try as he might, birdie now was frantically flying in circles trying to save itself from a frightening broom on the rampage. Hoping that birdie would fly toward the light, (does that work for living beings or just the ones passing to the other side?), Richard turned off the lights in the shop, leaving all the doors open. It was now dusk, so it was now dark in the shop without the lights burning. The outdoor security lights had come on, so he was hoping the lights from the outside would draw birdie out of the shop. Hoping birdie would make it's way out on it's own, we sat down to dinner.

We ate, cleaned up the kitchen and visited for awhile. It was at least a couple of hours later when Richard went to go check on birdie. He came back inside with a worried look on his face and told me the poor little thing was still flying around the ceiling. Richard decided to try one more tactic and went and found his crabbing net. Being very careful not to injure birdie, he tried in vane to capture this tiny prisioner for it's own good, but to no avail. The hummingbird was just too fast and too frightened. Richard hated to close up the shop but he didn't want to leave the doors open all night lest someone might see all his man treasures and pilfer them. So he closed up shop and hoped birdie would be alright for the night.

This morning before church, Richard told me birdie was still fluttering about and I should come look. So there we both stood, looking at this tiny thing and feeling so bad that it was trapped and it wouldn't let us help show it the way. We shut the doors again and left for church. We ended up going out to lunch and afterwards treated ourselves to a movie, plus the most important part, popcorn, Mr. Pibb and Junior Mints!

We arrived back home late in the afternoon. The first thing Richard did was head for the shop. I told Richard let me go change my shoes and between the two of us, we would rescue birdie from the confines of it's prison. By the time I came back outside and ready for birdie intervention, there was Richard setting the tiny hummingbird on one of my pot plants. The poor thing was completely exhausted and I'm sure thirsty and hungry. I have been around a few hummingbirds before and they are quick to fly away. I have seen very few actually land and stay put. But our birdie friend was breathing hard and sitting still before us and we were only about two feet away. I ran and got my camera to capture the image of this beautiful bird. It sat still while I snapped a couple of photographs. I asked Richard what we should do to help it. I knew it needed nectar. So Richard ever so gently picked up our friend and placed it next to some of my flowers. Within seconds birdie spread it's wings and took flight. We stood there and watched it fly all the way to the top of a tree. I actually felt happy and relieved. I think birdie's going to make it.

As I pondered our hummingbird rescue, I immediately realized how we are just like our trapped birdie. We spend our lives going in circles, doing the same things over and over, expecting different results. We think we know best, we can do it ourselves and don't need any help, thank you. But there is God, watching us flying around looking for a way out, looking for freedom from worry and life's struggles. God tries to show us the door, but we're so caught up in trying to help ourselves, we can't see the way out that is right there in front of us. God tries to point us in the right direction and sometimes even nudges us a little, but it's usually to no avail. God has to stand by and watch us exhaust ourselves until we are almost spent. Having none of our own strength left, it is then we slow down long enough to let God take us in his hand and carry us to freedom.

Just like Richard and I worrying about our birdie friend and not giving up on it's rescue, is a good example of how God feels about us. We would not have given up on trying to free birdie even though birdie was working against us. This was just a tiny hummingbird and I can't explain the emotions of finally seeing it fly away. I can't imagine what emotions God must feel when we give up trying to live life on our own, and finally give up our control. God wants us to be free as much as we want to be free from life's burdens. All we have to do is quit struggling and let God be God.

Be still, and know that I am God...Psalm 46:10