Of Hummingbirds and Butterflies

¹¹The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?  ¹²Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?  ¹³Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: ¹⁴But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. -John 4:11-14, (KJV) 

As you may recall my saying in other posts each year I enjoy placing hummingbird feeders outside my house and then watching them throughout the season.  The past spring we were off to a great start with so many hummingbirds coming to my two feeders I could barely keep them filled.  At one point I even considered adding a third feeder.  However, over the last month or so the hummingbirds have just stopped coming.  I have tried keeping the feeders refilled with fresh nectar, and I have tried placing them in areas closer to the woods which I thought might allow the birds to feed with more security.  Sadly, none of these tricks has worked.  The hummingbirds continue to stay away. 

The other evening I went out into the back yard and saw what I thought was a hummingbird on the feeder closest to the woods.  I slowly walked that direction and then realized it wasn’t a hummingbird, but a beautiful butterfly.  Feeling disappointment, yet amusement, I walked over and watched as the butterfly drank its fill of the sweet nectar of the feeder.  I figure if the hummingbirds don’t want to partake of what’s been provided some other creatures will. 

Consider this is similar to the way countless people are in their attitudes toward Christ and His Word.  Untold numbers of churches across the country make available the Word of God and the sweet waters of its truths, yet many people decline to come and partake of these blessed riches.  As Jesus said, what He offers satisfies the deepest spiritual longings of our souls.  Christ is able to fulfill us in times of spiritual and emotional drought.  As we hunger and thirst for righteousness the Lord will gladly give us our fill. 

Sadly, people will choose to stay away and they will decline the offer to share in what the Lord offers.  We cannot make or coerce people to come to faith in Christ nor should we ever attempt to do so.  Coming to faith in Jesus Christ is a personal choice each one of must make.  And as following Christ is a choice so is walking in faith and growing in His Word.  However, let us nor shirk our responsibility to proclaim the gospel and seek to encourage those who have grown cold in their faith.  Perhaps what is needed is for someone to encourage them to come back. 

I think tonight I’ll refill my hummingbird feeders and give it another try.  Perhaps they’ll come back.  If not, I know some butterflies which seem to be benefiting from the feeders.  Be faithful, my friends, and never stop sharing the gospel.