I have been sitting between two windows for about three hours this morning, reading and writing. The snow, sleet, and cold outside have made it impossible to choose just one window. In the frame of the smaller window, there is a cedar tree some twenty feet away. A couple of female cardinals have been sitting on a branch eye level with me the whole morning. The temperature outside is in the single digits, so I concluded the cardinals were eliminating the wind chill factor by not flying.
In one of the moments when my mind needs a rest, I decided to get my camera and telephoto lens to take their picture. Sounds beautiful, doesn’t it? I hurried for fear they might get hungry and head to their local seed distributor. When I returned, they were both still where I left them. After focusing and taking a couple of pictures, I took a more intense look. The cardinals were not cardinals; they were lingering leaves on a persimmon tree close to the cedar. No wonder the birds were not their typical brilliant red.
Disappointed, I set the camera down as well as my body. As I turned back to my laptop, I silently cursed my aging and failing eyesight. Midcourse, another thought arrived in my consciousness. Getting older and receiving a genetic glitch from my mother was the reason for my mistaking the leaves for birds. I do not have the same explanation for my character flaws and misbehaviors. By that, I mean my lack of Christ-likeness. I might think to myself, what a wonderful picture of a healthy Christian specimen I am. But the truth is I am more akin to the withering leaf clinging to a branch than fruit on the vine.
Today is a good reminder to me that I must continually appeal to God to examine my heart that there be no offending condition to God in it. My sight is just not accurate enough for a precise diagnosis of my life. I need to see my life the way God sees it, so do you.
Who perceives his unintentional sins?
Cleanse me from my hidden faults.
Moreover, keep your servant from willful sins;
do not let them rule me.
Then I will be blameless
and cleansed from blatant rebellion
Psalm 19:12-13 CSV
Photo – What I thought was the cardinal.
Baldwin Heirlooms 