Articles
Woodpecker
R E F L E C T I O N S
Thoughts on nature and the Christian faith
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"But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are
storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when
God’s righteous judgment will be revealed." - Rom. 2:5
All woodpeckers, like this female red-bellied woodpecker, seek out insects as a major part of their diet. With their powerful beaks they penetrate tree limbs in their constant search for insects. Most of the time, they concentrate on rotting trees because that is where most insects hide, and also because the wood is easier to penetrate. Some trees are just too hard for woodpeckers to bother with. But others, like this splintered pine, make it easy for these birds to seek and find their meals. So, for woodpeckers, soft wood is good and hard wood isn't worth bothering with. The same thing could be said about human hearts. The gospel readily penetrates a soft and malleable heart but is resisted by hearts that are hardened. The more the gospel message is resisted, the harder the human heart becomes and the more of God's wrath is being stored up until the time comes when the heart is permanently impenetrable. Make no mistake, dismissing the gospel has consequences and the eventual outcome is a heart of stone. But what makes a heart receptive to the good news of the gospel? That is exclusively a work of God the Holy Spirit. We humans plant the seed, but only God changes the heart. To an unconverted person, a feeling of remorse or a twinge of guilt should not be easily dismissed. Neither should a thought that maybe Jesus really is who he says he is. Faith is a gift that must be received, it is never a reward that must be earned. Constant refusal guarantees a hardened heart. Woodpeckers will always leave wood that is too hard, and God will also leave hearts that have become too hard. If you hear a knock, open the door. - John
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