The Hummingbird

Author Unknown

On a little island way out in the Pacific there lived a boy who had no friends. The only friend he had all through school was a little blue hummingbird. They did everything together, but soon the boy went off to high school. While he was there he saw the most beautiful girl and he made up his mind to ask her to go with him to the dance.

Now, this girl was very popular and did not want to be seen with the boy. So she said she would go with him to the dance if he could bring her a red rose.

Now, on this island there were no red roses, only white roses so the boy went home thinking of some way to get her a red one. The hummingbird, sensing his confusion and sadness decided he had to do something to help him get a red rose. When the boy went in the house the hummingbird knew what he had to do.

In front of the boy's house were some white rose bushes. The hummingbird flew straight into the sharpest thorn and bled all over one of the roses, turning it red. Soon after, he fluttered to the ground and died.

Soon the boy came out and saw the beautiful red rose, but didn't notice the hummingbird lying nearby. He joyfully picked the rose and set off toward the girl's house. On his way there he met some popular boys playing football in the street who beckoned for him to come over and play. At first he held the rose tightly and declined, saying he couldn't, and he had to go somewhere. The boys asked him a few more times and finally he said he would play. He threw the rose on the ground as he muttered to himself, " Oh, she didn't really want to go with me anyway."

This story is symbolic of the Atonement. The boy being us, the hummingbird being Christ, and the boys playing football being the things of the world.

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