A Sunday contemplation:
To nourish and feed the soul,
Or to ponder over ………..
This is an old Indian legend.
The Jaguar and the Hummingbird
There was a great fire in the forest one day. All the animals were terrified and fled away in different directions because it was a very fierce fire.
Suddenly, a jaguar saw a hummingbird flying over his head, but in the opposite direction. The hummingbird flew towards the fire!
Whatever happened, the hummingbird did not change direction.
A few moments later, the jaguar saw the bird fly by again, this time in the jaguar’s direction.
He observed this back and forth movement for a while, then decided to ask the bird about it, because this behavior seemed very strange to him.
“What are you doing, hummingbird?” He asked.
“I’m flying to the lake,” the hummingbird replied, “drinking water with my beak and throwing it on the fire to put it out.”
The jaguar laughed. “Are you crazy? Do you really think you can put out this big fire with your little beak alone?”
“No,” said the hummingbird, “I know I can’t. But the forest is my home. It feeds me, it provides shelter for me and my family.
For that, I am very grateful. I help the forest grow by pollinating its flowers. I am a part of it and the forest is a part of me. I know I can’t put out the fire by myself, but I have to do my part.”
At that moment, the Forest Spirits listening to the hummingbird were moved by the faith of the little bird and its devotion to the forest. And miraculously, they sent a torrential downpour that put an end to the great fire.
The Indian grandmothers told this story to their grandchildren and concluded with the words:
“Do you want to attract miracles in your life?
Then, do your part.”
The moral of the story:
None of us can make a difference on our own. It seems impossible and yet we are a piece of the puzzle in this world and are allowed to do our part. If we do so with dedication, we can work miracles. If we do this together, we increase the chances of this miracle, infinitely. It requires the realisation that everything is connected to everything else, and everyone can make their contribution.
Sources:
1. The legend of the jaguar and the hummingbird…
2. A few versions of the story, from some other sites.
“That’s why we need to tax jaguars and hummingbirds”. Gummint comment.
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We have to do our own (very small mostly) part and then leave it to God to use that tiny bit to add His own immense action. We do have to do that first tiny bit ourselves.
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