Pigeon wars…

We had only been out of town a week. But during that time, it seems the local pigeon population had a convention on our balcony. Evidently, they all ate something that gave them diarrhea. Not only the balcony floor was covered, but also some of the glass sliding doors, which were under a popular roosting spot, were splattered.

NOT a pretty sight.

And NOT a pretty attitude on my part!

Our balcony has a lovely view of nearby mountains (more like hills, but they call them mountains here). Sunsets are spectacular. My morning Quiet Time — a time of being quiet before the Lord, listening to music that helps me focus my thoughts on God, reading the Bible, praying — is my favorite time of the day as I sit listening to the serenade of birds (NOT pigeons, but other birds!) and soaking in the beauty of the vista.

And so, after the “convention,” my view was marred… until I got down on my hands and knees and worked to clean up the mess.

Hmm… this graphic picture made me think of sin in my life. Yep, it’s ugly. Dirty. Some is “surfacy” and cleans relatively easy… but other things are more deeply embedded and need the deep-cleaning “scrub-with-a-tootbrush- treatment” that was necessary to get our balcony clean.

Just as not cleaning up the residue from the birds would hinder my ability to enjoy our balcony, so not cleaning up the sin in my life hinders my relationship with God. NOT a pretty picture, on both counts.

Where I get tripped up the most with sin — which is anything that comes short of a holy, perfect God’s standards — is with my attitudes. I’m not going to kill someone or rob a bank, but I do sometimes struggle with being anxious, which basically indicates that I’m trusting in my efforts instead of relying on God. And falling into a comparison trap, which often reveals a lack of contentment regarding where I am in life, what I have, who I am (with my particular gifts and abilities).

Just a few days ago I had a doctor’s appointment that threw me off kilter. It was a routine visit to the ophthalmologist, but the diagnosis — that I need cataract surgery — wasn’t on my radar! A date for surgery was set, but a few hours later I chickened out and cancelled.

Later that same evening, after chatting with a friend who shared some helpful insights, doing some research to allay my biggest fear (we’re scheduled to fly two weeks after the surgery, and I was anxious about the safety of doing that — even tho the doctor had assured me it would be ok!), and a LOT of prayer, I realized that the real issue was one of trust: could I commit the health of my eyes into the hands of the surgeon — and ultimately to God?

Yep. Back to the “being anxious = lack of trust” issue. Something God keeps graciously dealing with in my life.

• Pour out ALL your worries and stress upon Him and leave them there, for He always tenderly cares for you. I Peter 5:7
• Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overwhelming gratitude. Tell Him EVERY detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ. Philippians 4:6-7

My war with pigeons is a good reminder to make sure I clean up my OWN life. I don’t want anything to interfere with my relationship with God. Thankfully, He’s a loving, patient Father who readily restores my relationship once I come to Him and admit where I’m trusting in my own efforts instead of relying totally on Him.

I’m not sure what it may be in your life that may resemble the aftermath of our pigeon convention, but I do know that God is eager to come alongside you as you deal with the messes in life. He’s not waiting till everything is cleaned up — He knows that some things are easier to deal with than others, but He wants your relationship to be restored. He’s already done everything in His power to enable that by sending His Son to die for our sins. It’s up to us if we choose to take advantage of that incredible gift on our behalf.

… and that, dear friends, is how we truly can have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!”

A little quiz for you! What do you observe in the above picture that indicates it was NOT taken from where we currently live? Leave your response in the “Comment” section.