Lesson from the Woodpecker
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
For days, I would hear a loud tap, tap, tap.
I ran upstairs to see what could be making the noise.
I almost couldn’t believe my eyes. I saw the biggest woodpecker I’ve ever seen.
This happened for days. I got numerous pictures of the amazing creature — a Pileated Woodpecker with a dramatic red mohawk. When it flew away into the woods, it stretched out nearly two feet.
For nearly two weeks, the woodpecker moved from window to window pecking at its reflection. Turns out, spring is mating season for the Pileated Woodpecker, and he thinks his reflection is a predator.
As I pondered the bird’s behavior, I began to think about what spiritual lessons I could learn. He can’t see the truth about himself. And neither can we.
Jeremiah 17:9 warns us that our hearts are deceitful. We can rationalize our hidden sin. We can overlook our blind spots. We can deceive ourselves into thinking we don’t need a Savior.
No matter what you’ve heard — you are not enough. I am not enough.
We need Jesus. And we need Him to search our hearts just as Psalm 139 tells us.
Lord, search me. Know my heart. Show me the sins that I don’t even know I committed. Make me clean. Give me a right view of myself and of You.
Stacy Graves
