Proverbs 19:21
“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
Spring is here and I’m once again fighting my annual battle with the robins that nest in my back yard. They arrive each year in late March, lay their eggs and hatch their babies. I love to watch them and would have no problem sharing my yard with them except for one annoying habit they have: every morning about 4:00 a.m., they love to sit in the trees outside my bedroom window and sing. Very loudly.
For several years now, I have tried to get along with these critters. I have used earplugs to block the noise and knocked on the windows trying to get them to be quiet. I’ve even bought rubber snakes and put them in the trees in hope of getting them to change their address. Needless to say, none of these remedies have worked and I think they even made friends with the rubber snakes.
I decided this year I would win the war and enlisted my thirteen-year-old to clear all the nests from our trees. My guilty conscience was eased when he told me there were no eggs in the nests and I mistakenly assumed my unwanted wake-up calls would cease. As I made coffee the next morning, I noticed one of my feathered enemies busy outside my kitchen window. I watched in amazement as I realized she had refused to accept her eviction notice and was rebuilding her home.
Watching the little bird’s determination to keep her home, I was reminded of the verse from Proverbs and began to understand that she would fulfill her purpose whether I helped or not. These days she’s caring for her young and her stubbornness taught me a valuable lesson; we have to be like her when we serve the Lord. When you commit your life to Christ and begin doing His work, there will be days you will feel like you’re climbing Mt. Everest. You will face seemingly impossible roadblocks, your friends may desert you, and people may even think you’re crazy. When you feel like you can’t take another step, remember my friend the robin and pretend you never saw that eviction notice. Stay strong, give your problems over to God, and He will prevail.