“Both the hummingbird and the vulture fly ove r our nation’s deserts. All vultures see is rotting meat, because that is what they look for. They thrive on that diet. But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. The vultures live on what was. They live on the past. They fill themselves with what is dead and gone. But hummingbirds live on what is. They seek new life. They fill themselves with freshness and life. Each bird finds what it is looking for. We all do.” (Reader’s Digest, May 1990).
Do you believe it is true that we find what we’re looking for? ls this a biblical principle’? News outlets often focus on the negative. People watch and listen intently. There are often “gaper” delays on busy highways—because people creep by and “gape” at the scene of the accident. The Bible says that gossip and slander taste “delicious” to many (Prov. 18:8). Humans do seem to have an affinity for the negative.
Negative things are like candy: they taste good, but they aren’t very good for you. The Bible teaches Christians not to brood, not to worry, not to consume ourselves with negative things, and certainly not to rejoice in others’ misfortune, but in all such instances, we are to give ourselves to the blessing of prayer (cf. Phil. 4:6).
Likewise, positive things are nutrition for our spirit. We are to fix our hearts upon things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy—things that are positive (Phil. 4:8). The result will be increased peace (Phil. 4:7).
In other words, if you’re a buzzard, it‘s probably because you choose to be.
Rick Kelley
Massillon church of Christ
Massillon, OH