A few weeks ago, I was working in my office writing when I heard a loud thud from the window to my right. I looked out the window to see if I could figure out what had happened. I carefully observed the window and the ground under the window, but there was no evidence to indicate what had actually hit the window or where it had made contact. I surveyed the parking lot to see if someone had driven in and kicked up a stone or if somebody had thrown something at the window, but the only vehicles in the parking lot belonged to the pastoral, office, and preschool staff, and they were all in the building at the moment. I decided my ears were playing tricks on me and went back to what I had been doing.
My fingers had barely touched the keys of my computer when I once again heard that same loud thud to my right. I quickly moved to the window and repeated the steps listed above, and still there was nothing to indicate what had hit my window, then I saw it out of the corner of my eye. Sitting on a branch of the tree outside my office was a rather large robin. I could have sworn he was staring me right in my eyes. Just then, he spread his wings, took flight, and charged head first into the window! He fell to the ground, popped back to his feet, and flew back to his initial perch on the branch of the tree. After considering his options for a few minutes, he repeated the process… flight, window, ground, branch.
While there was a part of me that found this whole process incredibly amusing and entertaining, I had work to do and didn’t want the bird to hurt himself, so I closed my blinds thinking that would end the affair. I was wrong. Several minutes later I heard the familiar thud of the head of my fine-feathered friend colliding with my window. I ran outside and chased him off and all was finally quiet. He flew off into the distance. The window had won this round, but he would return to continue the story at a later date (which he has… today).
I was curious as to why a bird would do such a thing, so I went to the source of all knowledge, the internet. I found that most robins that crash into windows are territorial males. When the bird sees his reflection, he believes it to be a male challenger. Normally when one male robin invades the territory of another, he will fly away when approached by the dominant male. Not so with a reflection! Every time the robin gets close to the window, the challenger in the glass advances. Every sign of aggression the robin presents is matched by his reflection.
What I find most interesting about this whole situation is that the problem is perceived, but the problem is actually the perception. The entire issue rests within the robin himself. The robin is completely incapable of taking a proverbial step back to observe the situation with objectivity. He is incapable of overcoming his animal instincts. He needs an outside source to step in and protect him from himself.
Without the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, I find that we’re often like that robin. We look at the world much like the robin looks at my window. Rather than seeing things as they are, we see them as we are. We see in others the intentions and attitudes that we carry in our own hearts. Our perception is limited by the sinfulness of our own hearts. It is only through the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives that we are able to see the truth of the world in which we live and opt for more productive patterns of living. If we fail to follow His guiding hand, we’ll continue to see danger all around us. The greatest enemy we face is on the inside, not the outside. If we fail to understand the danger within, without the power of the Holy Spirit, we’ll continue to puff ourselves up and fight losing battles with windows.
