Red Persistence

This is a continuation of  "The Dumb Cardinal," Monday, April 7, 2014, on this blog.  After a few days of the bright red male cardinal flying into my family room window, he went away and was replaced by a dull red female cardinal who has been up to the same antics.  I don't know whether he just tweeted, "Ladies, first," and left, or she bullied him away, or what happened.  Today, both cardinals are flying into the window!

Thump!  Thump!  Thump, thump!  How can I help but notice!  I admire their persistence!  They've never given up, except for the one day it snowed here this past week.

The annual Boston Marathon takes place April 21st.  All of the thousands of runners certainly are 'persistent' in their training.  Despite bad weather, fatigue, boredom, perhaps minor injuries, they all have run and run.  For some, the goal is just to finish.  Others are in the race to win!

What about us?  What is our ultimate goal in life?  I thought of this today while singing at church for a funeral.  It was the fourth funeral for which I've sung with the Resurrection Choir this week!  There was one other I missed due to a previous commitment.

The obvious, easy choice for our ultimate goal is, of course, TO REACH HEAVEN!  This means that the highest level of persistence we must have is in our spiritual lives.  We must follow God's laws - learn what they are, keep them, obey them, love them, believe in them - till the very end of our 'race,' when we die.

Talking about funerals and death should not be a 'morbid' topic.  We will be more alive after death than we are now.  We will live forever!  We will never hurt or be sick.  We will be eternally happy if we train correctly. We will be united with God and all the rest of our loved ones, or in eternal pain, worse than the worst we have ever endured, in hell.  This choice is truly easy!  Let's plan now to be persistent in our pursuit of heaven!

Back to the cardinals: I have been persistent in my desire to photograph the moment when a cardinal actually hits my window.  I've aimed my trusty Nikon at the window multiple times and never can capture the moment.  But I'm not giving up!  I, too, can be persistent!

Here she is, right after flying into the window, she lights on a nearby tree branch!

Dear Lord in Heaven, help us be strong and holy in our persistence to get to heaven to meet you some day!  Help us order our lives with your approval.  We love you and we thank you for everything!