A Hummingbird Temple Message of Love

A few months back, I think it was late August, my ward had a Relief Society temple night. I prefer to go to the temple earlier in the day. Our session was at 7 pm. At that time of night, I don’t feel like I can fully focus. I just want to be home, sitting around in my pajamas, relaxing. Yet, I decided to be supportive and somewhat reluctantly attended the temple session.

My Temple Experience

There were probably four or five people from my ward who came, all of whom would likely have come on another day anyway if we hadn’t had the Relief Society temple evening. I was able to stay surprisingly alert during the session, though, which was definitely a blessing. Fortunately, because the session went well, I did leave the temple feeling more positive about the experience than I had going in. Yet, I still left wishing that I could have have gone at a more convenient time.

After the Session

As I exited the temple, it was fairly dark outside, but the outdoor lights shined on the flowers alongside the sidewalk. As I glanced over, I noticed a hummingbird fluttering among the flowers. Then I noticed another. Before long, I realized that there were about 8-10 hummingbirds among the flowers. It really was a beautiful sight. To me, it felt like a message of love from Heavenly Father. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many hummingbirds in one place in my life. Even just seeing three or four in one place is pretty rare.

The Takeaway

For me, the hummingbirds were a reminder to me that I was at the right place. Sure, I could have gone to the temple on another day or at a different time. Because I went at that time and on that date, though, I was able to see those beautiful hummingbirds. It was a message of love from my Heavenly Father. He knew that I’d sacrificed to be there at that time.

I think we’ve all had experiences like this, moments where we did something that we knew was good even though we really didn’t want to do it at that particular time. For me, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to attend the temple. It was just that I wanted to go at a time that was more convenient for me.

There have been times when I’ve sacrificed in a similar way, and I haven’t seen the “message of love” from Heavenly Father. Yet, there have been other times when I’ve felt that little reminder that Heavenly Father loves me and wants to remind me that I’m doing the right thing.

Whether it’s seeing a group of beautiful hummingbirds, seeing a friend you haven’t seen in years, getting a great parking spot, or an assortment of other things, I encourage others to look for these “messages of love” from our Heavenly Father. When you’re doing what you should be doing, especially when it’s hard, I know these reminders of God’s love will come. They likely won’t come every time you do something good, and they may come without you noticing. When they do come, though, don’t just assume that they are coincidences.