The Persistent Woodpecker

I was just sitting down for a quiet cup of tea when I was disturbed by a loud 'tap-a-tap-tap' sound, coming from the back of the house. It didn't take me long to find a Hairy Woodpecker, happily hammering away on the wood outside our family room. It was cute at first, but after several days hammering, my husband and I decided it had to go. We stood, leaning over the deck and loudly clapped our hands. The woodpecker merely turned its head to look at us. We shouted at it. It just stared back. Our research on the internet said that woodpeckers have an aversion to shiny objects. We spent an hour devising an elaborate device consisting mainly of a tube of silver foil and yarn. Together, we managed to string it high across the back of the house. The next day, our clever device had been pecked apart and was lying on the floor under the tree. The hammering began again. Next we purchased a 20 foot ladder and filled in the large hole with expanding foam. The woodpecker drilled it all out. Finally, my husband nailed a metal panel over the hole....success! We do not hear hammering from the back of the house any more- but now I hear it at the front. That little guy just refuses to give up.

As annoying as that Hairy Woodpecker is, I think I have learned a lesson from him. Persistence attracts attention. What dreams do you have for your ministry that you refuse to give up on? Be persistent in prayer. Be persistent in faithfulness. Be persistent in ministry. God hears our hammering and like that persistent woodpecker, we will attract His attention.

Read The Parable of the Persistent Widow from The Message Bible