top of page
steelejay49

Pausing for Spiritual Direction from Ruby



Hummingbirds flit from flower to flower, seeming to be always in motion. They will pause and perch in one place for a while but will soon zoom from that location to another at a rapid speed. Even when they arrive at the flower of their choice, the process of extracting the precious nectar is one of nearly constant motion. It appears that they expend more energy in the process of getting food than that which they could possibly receive as the result of finding the food.


Except for one little, green hummingbird affectionately called Ruby. Ruby is content to sit on the perch of the hummingbird feeder and eat whenever the urge moves her. Why do the work of flying around searching for the next flower when all the food she wants is right in front of her? There is no need to look for food; just eat the food set before you.


Our walk with the Lord, at times, may feel like that of the normal hummingbird: flitting from one “flower” to the next; never landing for any length of time in any one place. Today it is St. Augustine, next week it is St. Teresa of Avila, then it is flitting to Thomas Merton, or St. Francis, and then on and on and on. It is often the same with a constant succession of devotional practices.


Why can't I be like Ruby and land and stay in one place enjoying the fruit of the experience the Lord has provided? Maybe I need to seek Ruby for some spiritual direction. Maybe I need to pause in one spot and stay put discovering what the Lord has for me there. It has been said that it is best to choose one devotional practice or even one book, pause there, and enjoy all the nectar the Lord has set before me for however long it may take. Why rush to the next flower when the Lord wants to feed me right here?


Where is the Lord calling us to have our Ruby experience? Where do we need to pause and sit like Ruby and let the Lord fill us with His precious nectar?


 

Our walk with the Lord, at times, may feel like that of the normal hummingbird: flitting from

4 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page