By Elena Barbre of Hampton Cove, Alabama, USA

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

My son ran into the kitchen. “Mom! There’s a hummingbird in the garage!” I followed him out and, sure enough, the tiniest of creatures was buzzing in frantic circles around the ceiling of our garage. Both doors were wide open, but she was in too much of a frenzy to see the freedom that lay right before her.

I sprang into action. I got the mop and tried to guide her out, but she persisted in her desperate circuit, too high to see the exit. I whistled to her. I reasoned with her. I tucked a small purple flower into the door machinery, hoping to lure her low enough to show her the way. But she remained panicked, unable to stray from her path. I could hear the vibration of her tiny wings as she darted around, stopping to perch on a wire, then taking off again.

I went inside to make dinner, and when I came back, she was still circling. Later, when I returned from an errand, the garage was dark and quiet. I finally found the bird roosted in a tangle of wires. She was so still. I gently nudged her with a broom, and she gave a pitiful shriek and took flight. I knew she was terrified, and so tired of the fight. So tired of moving in circles and getting nowhere.

Finally, she perched again. With a whispered prayer, I told her not to be afraid and asked her to sit on my broom. I held it very still and gave the tiniest nudge, and she did it! Either out of trust or sheer exhaustion, she sat on my broom and let me take her outside, where she flew into the night.

We are sometimes like the hummingbird—so caught up in our own problems that we can’t see the open doors right in front of us. We wear ourselves out. We wait until we are despondent, and then finally we trust that nudging of the Holy Spirit to guide us and set us free.

Prayer Phrase

“We, who are many, are one body in Christ” (Romans 12:5).

Spiritual Practice

Spiritual Learning

Meditate on a time when you learned about community from someone who took you in, fed you, taught you, shared stories and wisdom with you. What did you learn? Prayerfully create a list of qualities you need to learn from spiritual mentors and friends. Then write the names of people who serve as teachers, models, coaches, or encouragers in your life as a disciple. Offer a prayer of gratitude and blessing for these spiritual “relatives” and friends.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.