Bang. Bang. Bang. Long pause. Bang. Bang. Bang. Long pause. Bang. Bang. Bang.

That annoying, persistent sound has been going on for days. It’s the sound of a bird (a robin) smashing into our front windows, over and over again. After some research I learned that this strange behavior is quite common for certain breeds of birds, particularly robins in springtime. Apparently, the bird sees its own reflection in the window and mistakenly perceives it as another bird (a threat). In forcefully striking the window, the bird is aggressively attempting to defend its territory from the perceived intruder–in this case, its own reflection. These are known as “territorial window strikes” and they are an irritating, messy, and dangerous behavior. Birds may be seriously injured (fractured bones or bills, head trauma, internal bleeding) or killed by this practice. For homeowners experiencing this problem, there are a number of remedies, the goal being to dull, break up, or otherwise eliminate the reflection on the exterior surface of the window. I am going to try “frosting” our windows. 

In the meantime, I think there are a few good principles to be learned here. 

First of all, we humans are as capable of destructive, dangerous, and hostile “territorial” behavior as our little robin. In situations which trigger the desire to defend our “territory,” we need to tread very carefully and seek wisdom and Godly counsel from those we respect before undertaking aggressive actions.

Second, “reality” is not always what it seems. We must be very careful to find out if threats that we perceive are true, or just a figment of our imagination (or self-projection).

Third, in our efforts to fight off a threat, if we find ourselves “beating our heads against a wall,” we ought to reassess the situation sooner rather than later. It could be that our perspective is way off; either that or our strategy may be dead wrong.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Could it be that those in our culture who are so hostile toward God (thinking He is a threat to them, when instead He loves them) are fighting against their own reflections?