Recently while looking out my bedroom window, my attention was drawn to the bird spikes in the eaves. I had noticed them before, at other places, they’re those spikey things over the lettering outside of stores. Their job is to prevent birds from nesting. If a bird flies into the eaves on our balcony or on top of the store sign, the spikes will poke her, causing her to look elsewhere to build a nest.
I can relate to feeling poked. This year we were forced to move out of our nest, a spacious, comfortable home. We’ve had to rely on the benevolence of others and deal with the stress of unemployment. I didn’t like being poked, but it’s as if God had forced me out of my comfort zone – saying, “Don’t nest here.”
Like a good parent, it is often God’s desire to use the problems and difficulties of life to teach and change us. Every child growing up needs boundaries – they want to know what they can or can’t do. This helps them to feel secure, even if they balk at the discipline. Perhaps it is the same way with God, he allows hardship so we learn to rely upon him. He is a good father, seeking to lead us down his path to a better nesting place.
Has God allowed bird spikes in your life? Maybe you’ve lost your home, a job or a relationship. Instead of complaining or cursing the spikes we can ask God what he is teaching us. We can tell him we don’t like it, but ask him to show us what purpose and meaning we can derive from it. We can learn to trust him to be a good parent, working all things for our ultimate good.
Posts
