SELF-SERVING COMPETITION

We have heard the expression, “Free as a bird.” A bird has a wonderful freedom of movement that is impossible for all the other earth-bound beings, including ourselves. It sometimes seems that God takes special care of birds as they fly from place to place with an ease we can only envy. As Jesus said, “Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your Heavenly Father feeds them” (Mt. 6:26).

Nevertheless, one keen observer tells the story of a little hummingbird who lost its freedom by attempting, in its own little hummingbird way, to place limits on the goodness of God. She said,

Recently we put up a hummingbird feeder with four feeding stations and, almost immediately, it became popular with the hummingbirds in our area. Two, three or even four birds would feed at one time. But, suddenly, the usage decreased to almost nothing.

The reason for the decreased usage soon became apparent.…