The Flight of the Hummingbird
What looks impossible is not without provision
Image by Allec Gomes via Unsplash+
I’ve seen The Big Year a few times before. If you haven’t watched it, it’s a sweet movie about birding. I understand birding is not everyone’s cup of tea, but as a nature lover, I’ve come to appreciate this movie. I recently rewatched it, but this time something about it felt different.
Lately, I’ve found myself unexpectedly drawn to birds. Their colors, freedom, and joyful presence in the world captivate me. Naturally, I went down a rabbit hole learning about birds and found I was really drawn to hummingbirds. These birds are tiny, beautiful, and fragile-looking creatures, and they weigh about as much as a paperclip. I was surprised to learn they can migrate up to 600 miles flying solo across the Gulf of Mexico during migration season, facing unpredictable conditions such as storms, headwinds, and no place to land.
Image by Hans Isaacson via Unsplash+
I can hardly imagine the strain on a creature no heavier than a paper clip launching into the open sky and flying nonstop for hundreds of miles across the Gulf of Mexico. This hummingbird, tiny and tireless, pushes through exhaustion and storms, not because it understands the journey, but because it was made for it. There is no panic in its wings, only purpose.
Watching it, I am reminded that what looks impossible is not without provision. God has built into even the smallest of His creation the strength to endure and the instinct to trust not in certainty, but in sufficiency.
This reflection reminded me of Jesus words:
“Look at the birds of the air… your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:26
This tiny bird, with its short 3–5 year life span, lives boldly and beautifully. It reminds me that God hasn’t just made creation functional; He made it majestic. He didn’t just create for survival; He created for wonder.
If He provides for something so small, so light, so fleeting, then surely, He provides for me too.
