Appalachian Trail Devotional #4

One of the things I enjoy the most hiking in the deep woods is the relative silence.  Especially in the backcountry, miles from the nearest road, there are many sounds that you just no longer hear. Cars, trucks, construction equipment, chain saws, general road noise… it all fades away once you get a mile or two away from civilization.  And it’s amazing what you can hear in its place: the sound of the wind, the creak of trees, the twittering of birds and the scurry of squirrels.  On the trail, I could hear the rushing water of a stream long before it came into sight.  But all of these sounds in nature were much softer in magnitude than the noise created by human activity… Except for one.  The Woodpecker.

Often in the morning, but sometimes at dusk, the quiet of the forest would be interrupted by a staccato beat that sounded like automatic gunfire. Nearby a woodpecker was drumming. I thought that woodpeckers smacked their heads against a tree simply to bore holes and catch insects. But there’s more to it than that. Drumming is when a woodpecker picks a hollow tree for maximum resonance and beats his beak against it in rapid succession to create as loud a noise as possible. Once slightly before dawn a woodpecker drummed on a tree right up the hill from where I was camping.  I was just waking up and nearly fell out of my hammock. Ornithologists believe that this is a form of communication to both attract a mate and warn off others potential rivals. Of all of the sounds I encountered in the wild, the rat-a-tat of the woodpecker was the most surprising and loudest.

Exactly how much force does a woodpecker use to drill a hole in a tree?  Well, scientists say between 1200 and 1400 G’s.  That’s 14 times the force that causes a concussion in a human.  In fact, engineers have studied woodpecker skulls to help develop safer football and motorcycle helmets. God has somehow miraculously constructed woodpeckers to survive and thrive by beating their heads against a tree.

However, humans, not so much.  In fact, we use the phrase “beat your head against a wall” as an expression of frustration about almost impossible situations.  As in, “Trying to get my kids off their devices is like beating my head against a wall.” or “I’ve tried 12 diets, but still can’t lose weight. It’s like beating my head against a wall.”  Woodpeckers, yes; humans, no.

But the truth is, when it comes to living the Christian life, many Christians feel like they’re beating their head against the wall. They are attempting to live the Christian life in their own strength.  Do this, don’t do this. Read your Bible, pray, pray more, give 10%, tell the truth, serve in the church, witness to others, be joyful, be patient, be kind, be thankful, be loving…. When you approach Christianity like a giant exercise in self-improvement, the list of requirements is almost endless. We can never measure up and it feels like we’re smacking our head against a tree. It’s Woodpecker Christianity, and it’s exhausting.  But how, then, do we become more like Jesus?

I once participated in a seminar put by Grace Ministries on Christian living in which the presenter said, “Living the Christian life isn’t hard… (dramatic pause) … it’s impossible!”  At the time, that sounded like crazy-talk. How is that helpful? I’m trying to grow as a Christian, but I’m doomed for failure? It doesn’t make any sense.

But then, he took us to Galatians 2:20 which says,

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

This has become one of my favorite verses, because it reveals a powerful truth. Some theologians call it “the exchanged life” based on a term found in the writings of Hudson Taylor. When we come to faith and are saved, we exchange our life for Jesus’. When Jesus died on the cross, we died with him.  And when he arose we received a new life. Our old self is dead and gone.  But in its place, God has given us the resurrected life of Jesus.  The truth is, I (Steve Benedict) can never live the Christian life, but Jesus can. And he wants to live his life through me. This is one of the best kept secrets in Christianity!

Our role in Christian growth, then, is not to strive, work and struggle to become more faithful, but to rest in the Faithful One who has already given us his righteousness and simply bids us to follow him.  And it is in that act of resting and surrender that Jesus lives through us and produces fruit.  The most important thing we can do to grow as a Christian is stay connected to the Vine (John 15). Period.

I’m tired of Woodpecker Christianity.  I don’t have the strength, discipline, and tenacity to improve myself.  By myself I will never defeat sin and be more patient, kind and loving. But I do have an all-powerful Savior who has offered me His abundant life. And resting in Him brings true life change. It’s much better than hitting my head against a tree.