Hummingbird of JOY

As I was preparing a message for an upcoming event, I came across an analogy that really caught by attention! The writer talked about two kinds of birds that fly over our nation's deserts....the hummingbird and the vulture.  All the vultures see is the rotting meat of the dead animals scattered across the desert floor---that's what they are looking for! They thrive on that diet.
BUT the hummingbirds ignore the smelly rotten flesh of the 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's dead and gone.  But the hummingbirds live on what IS.  They seek new life.  They fill themselves with freshness and life.  Each bird finds what it's looking for!
So, which are YOU?  A vulture or a hummingbird?  Do you dwell on the past, refusing to turn loose of the hurts from yesterday or the things that "should have been"?  Or are you a JOYful little hummingbird looking for newness of life?  Each day is an unopened gift, given to us by the Father.  Open it expectantly and you will be filled with the JOY that comes from a personal relationship with HIM.