One morning I looked out the window into my backyard and saw a bird picking up a string. It was surely gathering materials to build a nest. I expected the bird to just grab it and fly off, but then I noticed that the string was more than a yard long. The further end was wrapped around a low branch of a pine tree and then dropped down between the bricks and wood of the raised garden. The bird pulled at the string, dropped it, and then picked it up again for another attempt. This went on for several minutes before the bird finally gave up and flew away. It made me think about our own struggles in life and with our walk with God.

Keep pulling

The bird was pulling at the string wanting to fly away with it and even though it would not budge, the bird continued to pull at it. We are sinners there is no way around that, but as Christians we should be striving to overcome sin (Galatians 3:22 and Romans 3:23; KJV throughout). We work at it continuously and even when we are "stuck" in a negative routine; God gives us opportunity to pull away and break loose. Proverbs 18:9 states, "He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster."

Things that get in our way

One way in which we struggle is in wanting things that we cannot have. It's like the bricks that held back the string from the bird. Maybe we desire something we cannot afford, but we lust after it anyway and try to figure out ways we can get it. Sometimes, we work harder at trying to achieve that goal, than we do for things that really matter in our lives. This kind of behavior gets in our way. It is about self and when our focus is completely on our own desires, we tend to push what is important away.

We may also get wrapped up in the evil deeds, storytelling, or pulled into the anger of others. It's easy to get caught up in other people's drama and activities. We might even find we make excuses for why we are getting involved. We lie to ourselves, saying we are helping or believe “it is innocent” when we are more likely exacerbating the situation even further. One reprimand about acting improperly says, "Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations?" (Ezra 9:14). Then in Proverbs 18:8 we read, "The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly." Like the string wrapped around the tree, we can become entangled in things we should have never gotten involved with.

Continue to come back

Over the course of the day the bird returned to try again to release the string. It jumped, it twisted and it pulled with all the strength it had. It was completely determined to conquer the problem. There was a struggle it was ultimately determined to win and difficulty did not dissuade it from continuing to try. There are times when we feel we have failed and just give up. We believe we are unable to move forward and we lose hope. Maybe we believe our sin was so great we cannot come back. What we do not recognize is that God is still there waiting and is hopeful that we will decide to return. He never gives up on us. He knows we make mistakes, but He expects us to keep on fighting for what is right and good. Like the bird, we must continue to make changes and "fight the good fight" until the end.  (1 Timothy 6:12)

We have a helper

The string was completely stuck! The bird had no way of releasing it. It took a human to untangle the string from the tree and bricks. We need help too. We cannot overcome our sins alone, we need the God-given gift of the Holy Spirit. It will be difficult sometimes, but we must repent in order to be forgiven. Without repentance, we are not showing that we recognize that we are sinning and we are not seeking forgiveness. Seeking forgiveness takes a humble attitude. Being humble is important to God. James 4:10 tells us, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up."

The bird was working on instinct and surely did not realize that it could not pull the string out. We, however, do not run on instinct. God gave us a powerful mind to work problems out. We want to be children of God and that means we must be led by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:12-16). We must move forward without ever feeling defeated. We must never give up because the alternative to being with God is simply not being at all. It requires prayer, repentance, and steadfastness in our attempts to overcome. It means we continue until we succeed!

For more information on the conversion process that God has in mind for you, read the free Bible study aid Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion.