Woodpeckers!!!  A devil’s bird for sure right?  This destructive bird has not only come to my log home, but is actually INSIDE the house!!!  He is physically destroying a 2 by 6 piece of lumber.  Not a log, mind you.  Not a piece of wood on the outside of the house.  Nope, He flies into my house (windows are not installed yet).  C’mon bird.  You know there is nothing in a kiln dried factory machined piece of lumber.  No bugs to eat there.  No place to construct (or destruct) a hole to live in.  You are just using your talents and abilities to destroy.  I’m a big outdoorsman, a nature lover, and have a love for animals (and birds),  BUT,…… I have to stop you from destroying me and my log house from the inside out.

In today’s society, we hear a lot about how we must all get along,….. how we need to be tolerant.  I need to be tolerant of your beliefs, your way of life, your activities, your opinions, and your way of living your own life.  At the same time, you need to be tolerant of me.

Hey, just because I like Mississippi State football, or hunting, or eating cake mix raw, or that I refuse spicy foods,….. you have to be tolerant of me!  OK?

Or, because I am a believer in Christ, you can’t ask me to be tolerant of you and then you proceed to tear apart my Christian way of life.  If you want tolerance and acceptance and open-mindedness from me,…… well, shouldn’t this be a two way street from you too?

Back to ole woody woodpecker.  I’m tolerant of this creature.  I will actually put out a special bird feeder for him.  To make a bird feeder for woodpeckers (and lots of other birds as well), Take a log, drill lots of holes in it, and put peanut butter and suet in the holes.  They go crazy over this type of feeder.  I personally get a kick out of watching them.  Hard to understand that I love to bird watch (including woodpeckers)?  Well, you’ll just have to tolerate me tolerating the woodpeckers in my yard.

Here’s where I draw the line.  When the woodpecker that I tolerate at my bird feeder comes into my home and begins destroying me and my log house, it’s game on then.  Tolerance and acceptance does not mean that I allow you to destroy me (even if it’s just one peck at a time).

I’ll set up an owl decoy.  This usually works and scares them off.  A rubber snake set up in the window can deter them from staying.  A picture of a cat, wind chimes, blowing pieces of sparkly paper,……. and finally the BB gun.

How did I get rid of this particular woodpecker?  Well, remember I said that he was coming inside the house?  I installed the window through which he was flying in.  I also removed all labels from said window.  Shined it up until it was spotless and you could see through it like it wasn’t there at all.  I pictured this bird flying back to his area of destruction, except this time he’s got a big headache from flying into a pane of glass that wasn’t there before.

Can you picture that?  Bam!!  Woody woodpecker crashes into glass!  Dazed and confused, he flies off never to fly into that window again.  ‘, scuse me for a moment,………  bahahahahehehohohaha(snort) hhahahaaaa(snort)(cough)agghhhahah(gag)(choke)hohohehehhehahaha.  That’s funny I don’t care who you are!  I also laugh at videos of squirrels on bird feeder, or dogs and especially cats falling down!!!!  Got a problem with that?  Then you need to be more tolerant of us folks that enjoy a good laugh.

 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.  2 Timothy 1:7

This subject of being tolerant is a sticky subject I’ll agree.  This world needs more understanding (from all sides).  The world needs more love (God’s Love).  I have chosen to tolerate.  I will tolerate to the point of being uncomfortable (with myself).  But Christ living in me is (my window).  I will see the world through Him.  I will see the world as He sees, and He will also protect me.  This relationship with Jesus Christ that I have is very personal.  It’s not just looking at the window (Christ), but it’s allowing the “window” to let me see a view of the world as He sees it.  It’s also allowing “the window” to protect me from the world (cold, wind, storms,……… and woodpeckers!)

(Window where woodpecker formally came in)

See Ya!!  Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher