My wife and I went on a little getaway to Whitestone Inn recently. It’s really a beautiful, relaxing place, and we found out just how much we both needed some rest (especially before the baby comes!)
Right outside of the window where we ate our meals there was a hummingbird feeder. They’re fun little birds to watch. The first day we were there, the feeder was empty, and the birds, not knowing that there was no liquid in the feeder, would approach only to leave in disgust. By the second day, the feeder was full of red-colored sugar water, which the birds love, and they were flying all around. There were actually two feeders, and probably a dozen birds total. Two birds stood out to me, though. They were guarding “their” feeder. They would not let any other birds drink any of the liquid that was in the feeder. Whenever another bird approached, the dominant bird would become like a dart, and with its long slender nose, fly directly at the threatening bird. It was a pretty funny sight to watch!
My wife and I were both struck by the ridiculousness of this fighting. There was more liquid in the feeder than would fit in all of the tiny stomachs of all of the hummingbirds combined! And when the feeder ran out, it would be soon filled again with the fresh liquid. Their selfishness was completely unwarranted because they would always be provided for by the workers at the inn. This wasn’t even something that the hummingbirds gathered themselves…it was provided for them free of charge, and in more abundance than they could consume.
You probably already see where I’m going with this. Isn’t it the same with us? How often do we become selfish with our ‘stuff’? We try to hoard it and protect it because, well, it’s ours! Or so we think. We’ve been the ones who have earned the money that’s bought it, right? “I need this extra _______ because of the line of work I’m in…I deserve this extravagant vacation…I need a bigger house, which costs way more money than I can afford…” The list goes on and on. Or maybe it isn’t ‘stuff’ that you’re selfish with. Maybe it’s your time that you’re selfish with. You have to protect it, making sure that you spend it ‘wisely’ on things that will profit you, entertain you, serve you, benefit you. Time is short, right? You can never get it back. “Don’t waste your time.”
But is our ‘stuff’ really ours? Is our time really ours? Do we truly have ownership of it? “You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) In this context, Paul is saying that it makes no sense for Christians to commit sexual immorality because, when we received Christ in faith for our salvation, our bodies were united with him. How can our bodies then be united with “a prostitute” (6:15)? It makes no sense in Paul’s mind how these two things could be united. He goes on to say that, because we are united with Christ, our bodies are no longer our to do what we want with them. Our bodies have been bought with a price (Christ did not just die to save our souls, but our bodies as well), and that price was the life of Christ. Having ‘stuff’ and enjoying ‘time’ is not inherently wrong. It’s wrong when you are mastered by it (see 1 Corinthians 6:12).
The hummingbirds have been mastered by their stomachs. Let them remind us that Christ died to redeem our bodies, and that He is our true master. Their idolatry should point us to the cross, and show us that following anything or anyone other than Christ is foolish.
