Beyond Common Sense

Sometimes I wonder why I spend all that money on birdseed! It’s so frustrating to see a flock of huge blackbirds devouring the seed and keeping the other birds away. Then, there’s this fella: 

At first, I thought it was a bear that messed with my bird sanctuary, but this makes so much more sense. A bear would completely demolish the feeder, but this polite fella just pulled it down and helped himself.  

Every undertaking has its “enemies.” As a writer, the disappointment of rejections, time limits, and feelings of inadequacy are like those blackbirds swooping in and devouring my motivation and confidence. The same is true across the board: the pastor preparing to preach, the teacher trying to pour knowledge into young minds, the server working to have a good testimony, the born-again family member trying to reach his family with the Gospel, the parent faithfully instructing her children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6), the retiree floundering to find purpose.  

Personal doubts put sand into the machinery of life, but the real problem is not our personal struggling but our questioning God. When we grind to a halt or just throw in the towel, it can be a serious step in the wrong direction.  

This week, I’ve been reading Jeremiah and Lamentations—not the most encouraging books of the Bible, or so I thought! Reading Lamentations three gives us a glimpse of Jeremiah’s weary heart. It reads a bit like Job, as he recounts his affliction, darkness, broken bones, woes, and dark places. It’s so heavy with agony that you want to stop reading, but don’t! After he lays it all out before God, everything changes, and we read that wonderful passage full of promises in Lamentations 3:22,23– 

“Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” 

How often do we quote and even sing these words, never stopping to remember the man who wrote them? Jeremiah struggled just like we do. We may be tempted to say it is ridiculous to compare our little problems with the weight of national decay and the pending disaster that the prophet carried, but God doesn’t see it that way. He has made each of us uniquely suited to fit the trials we face. Hearing the prayer for help from a mother dealing with a stubborn toddler is just as important to God as the president of a country dealing with national issues. God is not a respecter of persons. (Romans 2:11)  

When Jeremiah refocused on God, his whole attitude changed. You can hear it as you read the rest of the chapter. So, how do we chase away the internal blackbirds of our hearts? The remedy for God’s born-again children is always the same: focus on God and His goodness. 

Jeremiah 29:11-13–  

GOD’S THINKS ON US: 11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil,  

GOD GIVES: “to give you a future and a hope.  

GOD LISTENS:12 “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 

 OUR PART:  

1. CALL: (12)  

2. SEEK:13” And you will seek Me and find Me,  

3. SEARCH: “when you search for Me with all your heart.” 

Bye-bye, blackbirds!