Friday, April 16, 2010

Judging by My Own Default

I love hummingbirds and have a hummingbird feeder hanging where I can easily see it from my kitchen patio door.

I watch the tiny birds come flitting in , land on the feeder, take a drink and with whirring wings fly off to find the next source of sweet nectar.

I think .... silly bird.... working so hard to get enough to eat. If it was smart it would just make its nest and night time perch in the trees close to my feeder and enjoy a life of ease. My feeder would provide abundantly all its needs. It wouldn't have to look any further.

But I suddenly realized that I was judging the little creature by my own human default.

It is such a natural thing for us to look for a comfortable place to 'stay' and we hold onto it, protect it and pitch our tent.

Remember the story of the disciples who climbed the mountain with Jesus?
I'm sure they thought it was just a hike to a quiet place to pray as they had done countless times before. But when they reach their destination, they were tired and fell into a slumber.
Suddenly, they awakened to the supernatural world breaking into their natural world and they saw Jesus transfigured , talking to Elijah and Moses.
What an amazing experience that left them stunned and overwhelmed with emotion.

Their reaction ? "Oh, lets build tents and stay here .. this is a holy place, a good place to live!!"
But what was Jesus response to them ? He took them back down to the valley below.

I had to admit that the little hummingbird is not foolish after all but wise.
If it depended entirely on my feeder -abundant as its supply may be- there could come a day where I was away on vacation and couldn't replenish it. Then what would the little bird do ? It would be lost not knowing where else to go .

But in not ever becoming dependant on just one source ... but rather flitting here and there , from feeder to flower ... its trust remains in its Creator to provide its nourishment. Never is its trust misplaced in man's provisions.

We could learn a good lesson from this tiniest of birds.
What if we let go of our 'comfort' zones, our securities that this world offers, and just trusted in God to provide for us? What if it no longer mattered to us where we lived , what the stock market was doing, whether our job was secure, if we had enough money stashed away for a rainy day, if our day/life was going the way we planned or wished it to go.
I'm talking about attitude. The bible admonishes us to work and provide for our families, but what it we let go of all the worry that we mix in with it -- the stress of thinking it will not be enough.

What if we, like the hummingbird, simply believed that God would provide and we allowed ourselves to fly free without a care in the world?

Mat 6:26 "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? "

Mat 6:30 "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"
^^

8 comments:

Karin said...

Love your object lessons from nature! Thanks1

Betty W said...

I agree with you Julie, that we get too worked up in our "security blankets" and don´t want to let go of them. It´s something I struggle with and try to let go, but it´s not easy. In some ways I think God gave us a brain to provide for ourselves and if we just lived into the day and left it up to God to provide for us.....that would be wrong. But I know that´s not what you meant. It´s just something I have my conflicts with.

ellen b. said...

That would be a very good place to be indeed flying free where God leads us. Encouraging thoughts Julie. Hope your weekend is worry free!!

Judy said...

Flying free...I'll think of that when I see the hummingbirds flitting about this spring.

I'm off to go find my feeder and get it out where it should be!

Betty said...

I'm one who wants to 'pitch my tent'..I need to trust more and fly free. Great lesson Julie..

Kathy said...

Thanks for sharing...so encouraging. Flying free.....ahhhhh! Kathy

Sandy said...

Without words good enough for how Great our God is in teaching us about His ways.
Thank you for your gift of wisdom in the things of God, dear sister and for being obedient in posting them.
PS I love watching our hummingbirds at lunch time at the feeder we have.
How fascinating!!!

Lovella ♥ said...

I love the object lessons Julie. .and the wisdom that you have gained from seeing the small things around you.