When The Chirping Stopped

Brenda and I sat on the back porch this afternoon. We have not done that in months. Just the two of us and her dog Annabelle, who thought she needed to be the center of attention. At different times I listened to the birds chirping in nearby trees. I heard geese flying by. I watched two squirrels chasing each other up trees. We enjoyed a relaxing and peaceful sanctuary on our back porch.

On my property line my neighbor planted a bunch of bamboo years ago. It has grown so thick and tall it provides privacy between our houses. I am not sure what species of birds were in that bamboo but there were a good many of them and they were noisy.

From time to time I could barely make one out flying from one branch to another. They were tiny birds. Even though they were so small they were awfully proud of their voice. They were loud having a great time in the midst of that bamboo. They seemed oblivious to Brenda and I sitting only yards away.

In the distance I could make out the sound of different dogs barking. One from my neighbor's yard across the street in front. I heard one a couple of streets over and then the faint helping of a puppy wanting to be heard.

Brenda and I talked about all sorts of things. The longer we sat there the more I paid attention to all those birds chirping in the bamboo. I thought it odd they were not frightened by us being so close. It seemed they grew comfortable with us being out there. They did not feel threatened.

A thought crossed my mind. What would they do if rustled the leaves loudly with my feet as if walking toward them. When I made noise the chirping stopped instantly. Not a peep. Complete silence all at the same time. Brenda and I started laughing.

The more I have thought about that a lesson came to mind. Just like those careless birds frolicking in the bamboo so do we frolic about life. We laugh. We eat. We drink. We work. We rest. Most of the time we feel insulated from harm. We are not concerned by Satan or his minions. We feel safe in our automobiles. We feel secure in our homes.

Real life hits hard and rustles the leaves of our security. It can be a car accident. It can be the diagnosis of a diseases. I can be a spiritual attack from Satan. It can be an assault from ISIS. When those things come, listen as the frolicking chirping stops abruptly. We are snapped to attention. In those moments many turn to God for strength, comfort and direction.

There is a lot of chirping in our society. A lot of careless casual existence. People skip through life in a stupor unaware of the dangers all around them. Amidst all the chirping the enemy inches closer and closer. We have an enemy.

 1 Peter 5:8-9 (NASB) 
⁸  Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
⁹  But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 

We must remain sober and alert. We cannot afford to let our guard down. Sometimes the endless chirping must stop. We need to diligently look around us. We need to resist Satan firm in our faith. There are times when the chirping needs to stop.