Friday, October 15, 2004
My wife and I have always enjoyed the helicopter of the animal kingdom. Yep, the hummingbird. On our vacation we hung out a hummingbird feeder and we filled it with this sweet red liquid that they love and we sat down on the porch and we sort of swung back and forth, and settled back to watch those cute little guys come to drink. They're not as cute as we thought. No sooner would one land on the feeder and begin to drink, than another hummingbird would swoop down and knock him off. Then another bird would swoop down and knock that bird off. Eventually, we had as many as five hummingbirds at a time hovering and darting around that feeder fighting with each other, dive-bombing each other. When one managed to finally win a spot on the feeder, he couldn't even enjoy what was there; he was so busy looking around for his next attacker. As the provider of all these goodies, I was frustrated. I was irritated. These dumb birds were so busy fighting over it, they couldn't enjoy it.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Hummingbird Wars."
As we watched those hummingbirds, I said to my wife, "Honey, I think I know how we Christians must make God feel." Could it be that we're attacking each other so much, we're so busy positioning ourselves, we can't even enjoy what the Father's prepared for us? Our word today from the Word of God is from Psalm 133:1. "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity. For there the Lord bestows His blessing, even life forevermore." God blesses where His kids have laid aside turf and strife and are coming together in unity. He wants your church, your family, your organization, your marriage to be together - not divided. He has so much prepared for you, so much He wants to do for you and through you.
It's wrapped up in those words "His blessing," but we displease Him so much. When He watches us getting into our little groups, attacking each other, judging each other, there's so much ego, so much pride often concealed under righteous-sounding Christian words and causes. We let God's work be poisoned by competition as we try to get the best spot on the feeder for our ministry, our group, our advancement. And while we're protecting our doctrinal and lifestyle purity (which we should), we slander, and condemn, we verbally assassinate those we perceive as "them." We put our way and our turf above the greater work of the kingdom and we lose the very love by which Jesus said people would recognize Him and us.
Something is very wrong at the feeding place of God. There's too much fighting and we're missing what the Father has prepared for us. It's time we ask our Lord for the humility, and the gentleness, and the love, and the self-sacrifice that He always showed. He was the Son of God.
When I was watching those hummingbird wars, I really felt I was watching a heartbreaking picture of much of God's family. And maybe I was feeling in some infinitesimal way, the disappointment and the pain that our Heavenly Father must feel. It's time we live together in unity, for there is where the Lord bestows His blessing.