They're Baaa-ck!

No matter how many times I tap on the window or shoo them away, the unwanted Grackles and Starlings and Cowbirds return -- sometimes only minutes after we've gotten rid of them.  No matter how hard I try to keep them away, they always flap those big wings and settle back onto the feeder.  Look at that yellow eye -- he just looks malevolent.

These various kinds of black birds tend to travel in flocks, they chase the smaller songbirds away, they eat lots of seed, taking huge chunks from the suet, and they return very frequently.  As I have watched these unwanted birds return over and over again, I've been reminded of how sin, bad habits, and distractions return in our lives -- over and over again.  No matter how often we shoo them from our lives, we turn our backs -- and there they are again -- chasing away the sweet, melodious parts of our lives and greedily feeding on our good seed.

It's a never-ending battle in our lives to rid ourselves of the dark side that constantly seeks to envelop us.  Proverbs 4:23 tells us:  "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."  A similar verse in 1 Corinthians 16:13 tells us, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men (and women) of courage; be strong."

We seek to guard our hearts, but just know, these black birds will return -- over and over again.  As Paul told the Romans, "...When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.  For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work  within my members.  What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord!" 7:21-25.

Yep!  They'll be back, but praise God, "Greater is He that is within you, than he that is within the world" 1 John 4:4.   The dark forces of sin will continually seek to perch on our soul, but with God's help, we can shoo them away and not let them roost, taking chunks out with their sharp beaks, and we can stand strong in the power of His might.

Today, I discovered that if I flap my open Bible toward the picture window, the black birds fly away.  I guess the open white pages startle them.  This is a rich Spiritual picture.  If we use the Word of God in our lives to chase away the dark forces, they too will flee -- "For the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword..." Hebrews 4:14.

While I can't spend all my time standing at the window and shooing the black birds away, God stands at the door of my heart and helps me keep the dark forces at bay.  "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31.