Devotional – August 19, 2025

This morning, Jeni and I saw the first hummingbirds of the season at the feeders Jeni has placed on the patio.  Not only are they a welcome sight, they are a reminder of the continuing cycle of nature, of a system that operates quite well entirely without our human assistance.  

And even now there is a palpable shift in the seasons beginning to occur.  We have seen it in higher temperatures, the subtle shifts toward longer summers and even colder winters.  We might want to deny these changes, but they are there regardless of our opinions.  

Part of our human task is to be attentive to, cooperative with, the environment, to be stewards of the very essence of life itself.  Just as we are thoughtful about what we spend our financial resources on, we are also obligated to be thoughtful of our choices of the vehicles we drive, the plastics we use, and the paper we use once and then throw away.  

These may seem like small things, but the presence of the hummingbirds reminds me that small things indeed have great influence.  

Peace Be With You. – Paul