I Will Never Trust Another Hummingbird

A tiny hummingbird hovered at the hanging pot of million bells on my porch and I mention it was tiny because it was remarkably small, even for the species. My husband and I watched it dip its proboscis down the throat of the pink flowers, its wings fluttering like a Southern belle’s eyelashes as it darted from bloom to bloom.

After several minutes watching the creature, feeling fortunate it was remaining in sight so long, we both tipped our heads to the right.

“Does that seem off?” my husband asked.

“The shape isn’t quite right, is it?” I responded as I typed in a quick search on my phone for “mini hummingbird.”

“Could it be a baby?” he asked.

“It’s so odd,” I replied waiting for the search to populate. “Something about the shape is very like a . . . moth.” Suddenly, on-line images provided an answer to our confusion. “It’s a hummingbird moth. It resembles a hummingbird and behaves much like one but it’s an insect, the adult form of a tomato hornworm.”

All at once, what seemed like a lovely, summery occurrence, a tiny hummingbird enjoying our porch flowers, took on an ick factor as I pondered the beast before me – a moth as big as a bird, a poser, a counterfeit, a fraud. While the idea of a tiny bird fills me with the wonder, the notion of a giant insect horrifies me – especially when I consider it originated as a hornworm – those squat, juicy tomato terrorists that invade my summer garden.

Isn’t it concerning that something nearly like something else can be so far from being the thing it resembles? Like sugar and salt. Nickels and slugs. Toothpaste and diaper cream. Diamonds and glass. I found the hummingbird moth strangely unsettling and I’m not sure I’ll ever trust a hummingbird again.

Jesus warned us that there would be false teachers and false prophets among us. People who seem like the real deal, the genuine article, offering something nearly like truth and love but proving counterfeit in the end. They’ll lead some people astray and dishearten others to the point of letting their love grow cold. Terrorist worms with the all the markings and behaviors of believers but in the end, a different being altogether.

Now, there are varieties of hummingbirds out there. I’ll bet there are even some hummingbirds that don’t get along with others; but they remain hummingbirds. The hummingbird moth, however, is a different sort of creature altogether. Not everyone who seems off is a fraud. Sometimes, genuine believers in Christ get mixed up, or a little lost, or confused, they disagree, or we just don’t click, but they’re still family, they’re still creatures in the same flock with the same shepherd. In the midst of conflict, it’s wise to remember that emotions can create the illusion that something is amiss that isn’t. Still, the Bible warns there are people who look like believers, talk like believers, and pose as believers who are from a completely different sheep pen.

So, what do we do?

Well, sometimes, we get hurt. It would be wonderful, wouldn’t it, if I could give you four easy steps for identifying a fake Christian? The truth is that people committed to deceit will sometimes win out this side of glory. We aren’t home yet. We still reside on an outpost of eternity and there are real dangers here. The Bible says that some will be led astray. When Jesus announced to the apostles there was a betrayer in their midst – they didn’t know which one it was. Jesus knew but trusted His Father and His Father proved triumphant. We can trust Him, too, even with our deep wounds.

My husband and I were nearly fooled by the hummingbird moth but we had some things in our favor. First, we’ve watched countless hummingbirds so we know what the real deal looks like. Believers should cultivate deep friendships with other Christians and know, from experience, what the genuine article looks, acts, and sounds like.

Second (and third), we trusted our hunch that something wasn’t right and checked it with a reliable source – photos and articles on hummingbirds. The Holy Spirit often sends us promptings when we hear a false teaching or encounter a pretender. Feelings can be fickle so it’s good we have a reliable source for information about the truth of Christ. Every believer should know God’s Word as well as that believer can know it and make a habit of sitting under wise, godly teaching.

Fourth, (and this has nothing to do with hummingbirds), we should put into practice what we know from God’s Word, cultivate a habit of obedience, a practice that should increase our familiarity with the truth and with the voice of our Shepherd, all the better for us to distinguish it from a false prophet.

God calls us to love one another and to abandon fear. That can be challenging in a world the produces counterfeit Christians but with Jesus, nothing is impossible. As we make a habit of spending time in the presence of authentic Christians, of surrounding ourselves with sound, worthy teachers, and of testing the prophets according the Word of God, we’ll be more likely to spot a fraud.

I know the pain of being fooled. Right now, I suspect every hummingbird I see. But, Jesus promises never to leave me nor forsake me, He won’t give me up to some creature that sprang from a spiritual hornworm.

And remember, He created both the hummingbird and the moth – their existence is His business and He can always tell them apart. Jesus’ love frees me to trust hummingbirds even after I’ve encountered an insect masquerading as one. His real love is more powerful than any fraud.

I will never trust another hummingbird https://t.co/JRFRmYClL8 we live in a dangerous world but there’s an answer #amwriting#falseteachers

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) August 23, 2016

I’d love to hear what verses help you know the truth from the false. If you’d like to leave a comment but are reading this in email, CLICK HERE