The real birdbrain

For one brief period Joni and I did not have to turn on the morning news shows for entertainment. Every morning as we got ready for the day we would hear a familiar THUMP! That was the sound of Crazy Bird returning for his morning concussion. Our bathroom has a large half-moon shaped window near the ceiling. Every morning this bird would fly to the windowsill, sit there for a while, plan his attack, fly back a ways, and hit the window full on. THUMP! He would do this over and over. Day after day.

Because I like to think I am smarter than that bird, I would laugh and make fun of him . . . mindlessly hitting the same window day after day after day. Stupid bird.

Then I would go out and imitate this poor creature with my own daily behavior as a Christian.

Day after day I would go out and slam up against the same spiritual windows. Einstein was once quoted as saying that "insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." I am not quite willing to concede that I was insane. But the truth is that I did approach my spiritual life the same way every day while somehow expecting different results. If I was hitting the same window over and over, maybe it was time to change my approach. Scripture tells me that I should be producing fruit in my walk with Jesus.

If I am truly grafted to the true vine, then I will be producing fruit. But I too often decide to THUMP against the window of my own desires and selfishness. Jesus said this in the Gospel of John:

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit---fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other" (John 15:16-17 NIV).

Sometimes I make this so hard. I am asked to trust in Jesus daily. When I do that Jesus says I will produce fruit. Then the Father will give me whatever I ask in His name. Then He commanded me to love one another. That is not a "helpful suggestion." That is a command. But that doesn't fit my plan.

My strategy is to ask for the Father to give me whatever I ask first and then I will get around to producing fruit. THUMP.

And then I decide that some people I simply cannot love. THUMP.

I rationalize that I just can't produce fruit right now because of (insert difficult life circumstance here). THUMP.

Yep. I am a lot smarter than that bird. It only took me 32 years to figure out I needed to change my approach. Stupid bird.