Busy Little Bird

Earlier this spring, when we first made the move to the Show Me State, I put out some flowers on our porch. Every year I’m extremely hardheaded and I put at least a couple plants out long before the danger of frost has passed. Those flowers eventually died, but, while they were alive they attracted a couple of hummingbirds. I told my mom often about my little visitors and for Mother’s Day she gifted me a beautiful glass hummingbird feeder. We have a tree on the south side of our house which I discovered, is the home of the hummingbirds. Grant recently built a treehouse for the kids in that very tree. Nearly anytime of the day, if you sit on the porch long enough, you’ll hear buzzing and to your delight, you’ll get to witness these amazing creatures right before your eyes. It doesn’t take much to entertain me. Like I said in a recent post, people watching is one of my favorite things to do! Well, like both my Grannies, I suppose I too enjoy birdwatching.

I was curious of what these little guys’ jobs were, so I pulled out my handy-dandy iPhone 7. Yeah, I know, I’m a few years behind. I learned that “they transport resources between the tropical and temperate ecosystems located thousands of miles apart and they serve as pollinators.” They also have an incredibly high heart rate. During a flight it is an average of 1200 bpm. When resting, it reaches around 250 bpm. A hummingbird also consumes around half its weight in sugar daily. I read several other facts that would likely bore you, but I read one thing that really jumped out at me.

Hummingbirds almost never stop moving, and they spend nearly all their time in the air. Their legs are so small and weak, they typically can’t walk at all. But in the air, they’re masters.

Colossians 3:2 says to set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth.

God, help my flesh to be so weak because I’m used to never using it, because I’m too busy moving closer to You.

I pray that is your prayer as well.

May I ask you something personal?

What is your goal in this life? What is your mind always captivated on? What has a hold of your heart? What are you busy doing? Being busy isn’t always a good thing. If it’s reaching a certain number of followers or likes on social media, I can tell you now, that will never make your insecurity go away. If it’s a beautiful home with beautiful things inside, I hate to break it to ya, but I imagine they’ll have a hard time fitting that in the casket with you. Maybe it’s having smart kids, who have the best academic achievements in their class. Or maybe it’s having a certain job or title. Maybe you’re busy gossiping and putting others down. (Always remember- if someone is talking about somebody else to you, there’s a really good chance they are talking about you behind your back as well!) You can fill in the blank with your own personal answers. Think about it though.

The thing I dealt with most in life is the act of people pleasing.

It says in Galatians, “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”

For me, I am not talking about people pleasing in a sense that I would not stand up for Truth. That I would be more concerned about offending someone rather than telling them about the Gospel. No, my entire life, my type of ‘people pleasing’ is just wanting to make sure there is peace between me and anyone who knows me. Well, I am now 30, and although that is still young, I learned some things in my 20s that will make my 30s much more simple. I am a servant only to Christ – not a servant to others opinions. The devil, our enemy, uses things so simple as this to try to fight for our peace of mind. Trust God with who He wants in (and out) of your life. It may hurt, it may be hard, but he always knows best, even if it never makes any sense. That is what trusting Him is all about. And I’m learning to lean daily on His sweet, precious, acceptance of me, and every day, I care less and less about what others think.

Relationships are something God designed us to have, if you want to read some awesome examples of bonds in the Bible, read about Jonathan and David. Naomi and Ruth. Moses and Aaron. Elijah and Elisha. And the greatest of all, Christ and mankind. So, having a strong, godly bond with someone isn’t the issue here. It’s when you want it so bad it consumes your thoughts. It makes you do and do and do for someone, who likely will never appreciate you and frankly, just doesn’t want the love. It’s when you care more about this person‘s approval and acceptance on your life rather than the Lord’s! You might say, “there is no way I would rather someone else’s approval more than God’s.” Well, then why do you always have to have the last say every time you and your husband have a disagreement? Why is it that you dress immodestly? You say you’re just looking pretty, but you’re actually causing men to have a spiritual battle in their mind every time you walk through the church doors! And no, it isn’t the man’s fault that you can’t cover up your body. Just a little extra nugget for you girls out there, tight clothes can be just as revealing as short or low clothing… As I’ve said before, just look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself if God would be glorified with your appearance. Same goes for anything in life. Does your appearance, actions and attitudes GLORIFY Him??? I read not long ago an article of how many people died right before taking a selfie. They were either on an edge of a cliff or in water that was dangerous… All for people‘s approval of their photo! You can’t tell me people don’t care more about others approval over God’s.

I’m sure someone much smarter than me out there and more into theology could come up with a better idea when comparing us humans to hummingbirds, but I want to keep it simple, the way I like most things in life. And that is just the thought that came to my mind.

Stay so busy like those little hummingbirds, that you don’t even have time to sit, time to worry, time to fret and care about the past- or about the future. Stay so busy flying and staying close to Jesus that you aren’t an easy target for prey. I am sure if that little bird sat long enough and low enough, a cat would enjoy him for a snack. Get in the Word. Pray. You don’t have to have fancy commentaries or a degree to understand the Word. I have read King James Version since I was a kid, and if I don’t understand a word, I can easily find its meaning along with several synonyms online in seconds. The Lord will never confuse you. Like the hummingbird who feeds multiple times an hour on that sugar water, we must feed on the Word to have energy to fly higher and go higher and soar! 

I will never sit on my porch again and let these little birds pass by me that I won’t be reminded of their trait to stay flying nearly constantly. I want to use my “wings” and stay close to the Lord so often that my “legs” (the flesh) is weak because they aren’t used to being used. I want to use my energy staying close to Him, not close to this world. My little girl was pretending to preach the other night to me at home and she said “the earth is behind you! The Cross is before you!” What a reminder. The Cross is all we need to focus on. You can’t look back and forward at the same time. No matter who decides to go with you, stay on the straight and narrow.

I love my friends, I love my family and I love people in general. But, whether or not any of them choose to stay on the path to serving Jesus with me, I will walk. I will make Heaven my home one day, and that my friend, is the only reason behind this blog. I’ve said it before, but I get enough traffic to make a little money. But, I chose not to. That’s not my focus. I now have nearly as many people out of the country read my blog as people here in the states. Around 70% of the people who read my blog, don’t even know me. I take time to pray and ask God what he wants me to write, not because I think I’m smart, because I’m not very smart in the world’s eyes, but I do so because I know one day when my last day has come, the date they’ll chisel into my tombstone, when that day comes and I am standing before the Lord— All I want is for Him to say, “Well done, Hannah.” 

I am not a singer, I have a sister who can sing like a bird though and I married into a singing family. I wish so bad I would have continued learning any of the instruments I learned the basics to as a kid/young adult, (the violin, trumpet, guitar, drums and piano.) Yes, I attempted all of these! And to be honest, I don’t consider myself just an amazing writer. But, God has put that calling on my life to use my words to minister. Through this blog, yes. But I also have always felt a need to encourage people with my words and often times I do that in the form of a letter. Even to my own kids and spouse. They are my best friends and I pray my words are always kind and gentle.

I pray God has spoken to you about drawing closer to Him by reading something in this post. That is all I’d want. 

So, the next time you see a hummingbird, remind yourself to stay busy thinking on things that are above! 

Give me that old time religion

I’m a people watcher. Not in a creepy kind of way, but in a “this is oddly enjoyable” kind of way. Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.

Well, I was watching an old man after he had said something to me and walked away in the produce area at the grocery store the other day. This time I wasn’t staring for my own entertainment, but I was trying to feel out the situation at hand. I decided to walk back over to him and start up a conversation. 

After several minutes I invited him to church. He asked me if I’d pray about something. He told me he has a 28 year old granddaughter who is a mother of a two year old, and is 12 weeks pregnant, who just found out she has cancer in both breasts. I immediately told him of different times I have seen God’s healing hand in my life. I asked him if he believed in anointing with oil and healing and he said “yes.” So, I told him how our church does that very thing at the beginning of each service. 

I didn’t tell him about the size of the church, the beautiful location, or even the anointed singing and preaching. I told him about an altar we all gather around and pray at before each service. 

This past week I had a very special time with the Lord. So special, I don’t feel comfortable sharing much of the details on the World Wide Web. But, I will share this. One night I was reading a book by A.W. Tozer and it said something along the lines of “our hearts being on their knees.”

That stopped me in my tracks. I often like to get on my physical knees when I’m praying, but I had never heard it like this. For our hearts to be on their knees. 

I went on to have an extremely special prayer time as I told the Lord I was kneeling my heart before Him. I don’t feel comfortable sharing additional details, but I would like to say one thing today, or ask a question I suppose. 

When is the last time you truly knelt down before God with your heart?

In Proverbs it says that a soft answer turns away wrath.

In James it says, humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. 

In Matthew it says, For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 

Jesus showed us how to pray using this line...

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

Forgiveness is not a feeling! Forgiveness is a choice. A couple years back, shortly after I was miraculously delivered from depression instantaneously, a simple saying popped in my mind.

When pride is broken down, healing can come, when healing comes, unity can come, and when unity comes, true worship can take place. 

I laid it all out there for those closest to me that evening I was delivered. I allowed my pride to be broken down. I did not care if anybody thought I was not a good Christian because I had fell into depression. I did not care if someone was going to look at me differently from that day forward, perhaps thinking I was weak minded. I let every bit of pride leave. I was healed that evening as mentioned before, and then I felt unity take place in my life amongst relationships I had. Then, I was able to experience true worship. 

Forgiving others and sometimes forgiving yourself can be one of the hardest things you do as a Christian. I have mentioned it a time or two before, but I feel it was the hardest thing at different points in my life, to forgive somebody who never apologized or attempted reconciliation. 

As a 16-year-old, I was not saved yet. I had made some poor friendship choices and I ended up getting hurt, to say the very least. I remember during that summer, which was by far the worst of my life, sitting on my floor in my bedroom crying. I looked across the room and I remember seeing my Bible. I felt something drawing me to that Book. I remember that moment very vividly. I could not tell you the scripture that I read, but I remember that it was the only thing in my life that gave me any form of peace. 

I was saved eight months later. Forgiving those two people was something I was commanded to do as a Christian! I can’t begin to tell you the amount of peace that flooded my life whenever I started forgiving people. Fast forward 13 years later, and God has provided me the opportunity to forgive more people along the way! 

What a blessed quietness. What a joyful sound. When you can say those words, not with your mouth— but with your heart! “I forgive you!” Maybe there is somebody who is dead who you need to forgive. Maybe it is somebody who has totally cut you off and wants nothing to do with you. Or, maybe it is somebody that you have cut off and that you want nothing to do with! Perhaps it is somebody who lives in the same house as you. 

I love that old gospel song called “Give me that old time religion.” I looked it up on Google today and I found out it was actually a tune that was written back in the 1800s. 

Look over the rather simple lyrics below. You’ll be reminded that anything that matters can’t be modernized! Salvation! There’s no new way to be saved! There is no new way to be forgiven or to forgive.

It was good enough for our mothers! And Lord, help us, but it SHOULD help us love everybody. I sure know it saved my father, and when my time comes, and I breathe my final breath, it’ll do when I’m dyin. That thing I’m talking about is that old time religion which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified and risen from the dead! It’s good enough for me. It’s good enough for my husband and kids. So, the next time you are people watching,  or bump into a stranger, I pray you’d go out of your comfort zone a little, and share with them that old time religion. 

Give me that old time religion

Tis the old time religion, 

Tis the old time religion, 

And it’s good enough for me. 

It was good for our mothers. 

It was good for our mothers. 

It was good for our mothers. 

And it’s good enough for me. 

Makes me love everybody. 

Makes me love everybody. 

Makes me love everybody. 

And it's good enough for me. 

It has saved our fathers. 

It has saved our fathers. 

It has saved our fathers. 

And it's good enough for me. 

It will do when i am dying. 

It will do when i am dying. 

It will do when i am dying. 

And it's good enough for me. 

It will take us all to heaven. 

It will take us all to heaven. 

It will take us all to heaven. 

And it's good enough for me. 

Give me that old time religion 

Tis the old time religion, 

Tis the old time religion, 

And it's good enough for me.