W  hack! I winced as I watched the bird slam into the glass.

Why was this stunning male cardinal attacking our patio doors? Although I was curious, neither his motive nor his emotional health was my main concern. Most of all, I wanted to keep the bird from killing himself and to protect the glass on our patio doors. Pulling beach towels from the closet, I hung them over the doors to minimize the mirror effect of the glass. This worked temporarily, until the bird discovered the lower portion of the door where the towels did not reach. I considered other solutions to halt the bird from his crazed rampage, but nothing practical came to mind.

Whack! Whack! The angry attacks continued. Realizing the failure of my towel-hanging efforts, I gave up.

My husband and I left town for several days, and upon our return and the discovery of dried body fluids on the glass, we knew the bird had continued on his path of self-destruction. The bird appeared gone for good, as it was apparent that his relentless, angry attacks on our patio doors had no doubt taken their final toll.

As I cleaned the bird mess off the glass doors I pondered the human condition and reflected on how we often behave similarly to the angry bird. Like this bird, people get caught up in patterns of self-destruction. What makes us repeat behaviors that are killing us, but make no sense? God’s heart must break as He watches us attack ourselves and hurt others through any number of insidious or blatant self-defeating actions.

The sad truth is, we are broken people living in a broken world. God may not always experience success in getting us to turn from our destructive ways, but that does not mean He ever stops trying.

If my small human heart desperately wanted to protect an angry cardinal from hurting himself, I can only imagine what our perfectly loving heavenly Father experiences as He watches us self-destruct. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us of a God who envisions a bright future for us even when we can’t see it for ourselves. “ ‘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.’ ” He holds out the prospect of hope even when we are in the midst of pain. And He will step in if need be, redirecting our steps to a brighter future.

The problem is that we don’t always see God’s corrective measures as helpful or loving. We get angry when God steps in, trying to get us out of our self-destructive ruts. We don’t like the pressure or pain, which are sometimes the “teachers” God uses to guide us.

Nevertheless, my heart overflows with gratitude for a compassionate God who sees and knows and cares enough to craft a beautiful life plan and provide direction when we stray from it. Because of God’s willingness to take corrective measures when needed and initially unappreciated, I feel closely drawn to Him in love. I am grateful for a heavenly Father who constantly puts Himself out to save me from myself.