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Hummingbirds, birds of faith?

© Judy L. Evridge

Lately I have had many hardships in my life...from illness to death. And I must admit my faith in God has been tried, put to the test! All of us must go through some of these times, but, If there were ever any doubt that God exists, one has only to observe the creatures of this world to know that someone far greater than our understanding is entirely in control.

Take the hummingbird for example:

Hummingbirds are the only bird that can fly backward. They can fly up, down, forward, backward, sideways, do barrel rolls, even fly upside down, and stand still--hovering motionless in mid-air! They can rise vertically and and hover, or act like yo-yos flying up and down! Hummingbirds have the fastest wing beat of any bird. Averaging 80 beats per second, and up to 200 beats during courtship dives! They can stop in mid-air with a jolt that would send a pilot flying out of an airplane! They can swivel their wings almost 180 degrees and the speed of their wings resembles the blur of the rotory blades of a helicopter! Marvels in maneuverability in flight and in their anatomy, aerodynamic experts have not been able to figure out how they manage to fly believing that body structure makes it anatomically impossible!

So incredibly small their wing muscles account for at least 25-30% of their body weight! To meet the energy requirements of a hummingbird, a 170 lb. man would have to consume 285 lbs. (that's POUNDS!), of hamburgers a day! Contrary to belief, (and according to the experts?)hummingbirds aren't attracted to flowers for their fragrance, but for their color! They seem to prefer red, but any bright color will do! They have huge appetites too--dining on over 1500 flowers per day! They lose body heat very quickly so they must keep eating to be able to perform those spectacular aerial acrobats they are so noted for!

The Bible mentions that we need only the faith of a tiny mustard seed...for me the tiny, yet incredible hummingbird, like the mustard seed, serves to reiterate that wonderful example.

Every fall, they know when it is time to make there way south, come spring they know when to head north. They travel thousands of miles (some believe NON-stop) until they reach their destinations. They do not question whether or not they will make it through, where they will find sustenance or IF they will. They simply live by faith...

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