“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory”—Isaiah 6:3(NIV).
Oh, that little bird just crashed into the glass.”
I turned to see what my friend was talking about and saw a hummingbird lying on the wooden porch of the restaurant where we were dining. Jumping up from my chair, I picked up the wounded bird, praying he could still fly. Cradling him in my cupped hands, I marveled at the intricate details of his body as he fluttered his wings and then climbed onto my index finger. He didn’t seem in a hurry to fly away and I was in no hurry to let him go, but I did. Lifting my finger so he could fly over the partial glass enclosing the porch, I released him. Amazed that I had actually held one of these tiny creatures in my hands, I turned to my lunch companions and said, “I’ve always wanted to hold a hummingbird.”
In Isaiah 6:3, the prophet wrote, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.”
Cradling that tiny creature in my hand was like holding a gift from God. While we don’t often get that kind of opportunity, how often do we overlook His glory around us every day? In our busy world, we rush from one thing to another. We are a multi-tasking society, trying to cram every hour of the day with activity.
German aviator Dieter F. Uchtdorf once said, “Isn’t it true that we often get so busy, and sad to say, we often even wear our busyness as a badge of honor as though being busy by itself was an accomplishment or a sign of a superior life. Is it? I think of our Lord and Exemplar, Jesus Christ, and His short life among the people of Galilee and Jerusalem. I’ve tried to imagine Him bustling between meetings or multitasking to get a list of urgent things accomplished. I can’t see it. Instead, I see the compassionate and caring Son of God purposefully living each day. When He interacted with those around, they felt important and loved. He knew the infinite value of the people He met. He blessed them, ministered to them. He lifted them up, healed them. He gave them the precious gift of His time.”
In a world obsessed with speed, being first and having the best, is it any wonder we have lost sight of God and His glorious creation? While God wants the first fruits of our labor, He also wants our time.
Before I realized that God wanted a personal relationship with me, I wore that badge of honor called busyness. My to-do-list would have put the Pentagon to shame.
When I began to give Him the first fruits of my day, spending time in prayer, reading scripture and writing in my prayer journal, I began to see His glory everywhere. When I gave Him my to-do-list, I learned that He doesn’t ask us “to do” as much as He asks us “to be.”
I love hummingbirds, too. I’ve also had to rescue them from my garage when they mistakeningly fly in. They are beautiful creatures. Great illustration here about being too busy to foster our relationship with God. I enjoyed reading this.
Thank you, Laura. We live in such a tech-connected world that if we don’t slow down, we miss God in the process of what we call living. Living is slowing down to absorb His greatness, His goodness, His grace.
By the way, I went to your blog where I commented on “How do you kill 11 million people?” Wonderful post. I’ve read the book too.
Thanks again!