Acorn Woodpecker - A Lesson on Diligence

# The Acorn Woodpecker

With its sharp and strong beak, the Acorn Woodpecker typically drills holes into tree trunks sized just right to hold an unusual food source—acorns. Each hole is created carefully; each acorn fits snugly in a hole—because if the hole is too large, other bird species could easily steal the acorn, and if the hole is too small, the acorn could fall out or spoil. By late summer, the woodpecker's work is complete. Ripe acorns are placed in the holes, with one large tree trunk capable of holding approximately 50,000 acorns, ensuring enough food for a satisfying winter.

To preserve their food, woodpeckers move seeds to smaller holes as they dry and shrink. This is a full-time job! Not only that, the acorns are easily visible and must be protected from scrub jays and other species, so there is always an Acorn Woodpecker standing guard. These birds can also use other suitable places, such as cracks and crevices in buildings and telephone poles. Although acorns are their main food, this bird species also eats other things, such as tree sap, fruits, nectar, lizards, and other small animals; especially insects, which they sometimes store in crevices for later consumption. Each group of Acorn Woodpeckers works together to maintain and protect their cache of acorns, on the same tree trunk, called a "granary," which is reused across many generations to store food reserves for winter. The Acorn Woodpecker is also a highly social bird species. They live in stable groups of about a dozen individuals and have evolved into an unusual polygamous mating system in which multiple males and females share a nesting cavity and raise their young together.

We thank God for creating the industrious Acorn Woodpecker with its communal spirit, to survive and help enliven the world that He has made! The Bible also mentions a diligent animal that knows how to store food even though it is small. It is the ant, recorded in Proverbs 6:6-11: "Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man." God uses the image of the diligent ant to warn His people not to be lazy. The spirit of diligence is a characteristic that God wants His people to have, not only to survive but also to do His work.

The diligent person will receive satisfaction and fulfillment in their work, which God provides abundantly, just as King Solomon experienced: "The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied" (Proverbs 13:4). Furthermore, God's Word also teaches us that the lazy person is like one who destroys work, bringing no results: "One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys" (Proverbs 18:9). Every task requires the diligence of the one doing it, so that the work is completed on time and yields the intended results. If not, then that person is merely a destroyer, of no benefit to God's House! Therefore, Proverbs 18:9 affirms that negligence in responsibility is as harmful as actual destruction. This is not merely a warning about physical laziness; it is also a spiritual metaphor. Laziness tempts us into complacency, causing us to lose focus from the calling and purpose that God has given us. God's Word teaches us to live working diligently and with positive faith, as the apostle Paul reminded us: "Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord" (Romans 12:11).

Indeed, laziness is a spiritual obstacle; it will keep us from serving God, from maintaining a close relationship with God and those around us. Conversely, the nature of diligence not only helps God's House develop and the Gospel spread to many places; but also brings believers satisfaction in God and allows faith to mature! Those who follow God must possess the virtue of diligence. We must be diligent in reading and meditating on God's Word, diligent in doing God's work, fellowshipping and praying with Him, and helping our brothers and sisters grow together in faith! May the Holy Spirit strengthen us to be diligent in meditating on His Word and obeying it; always wholeheartedly, with all our strength, with all our mind, to serve God diligently; to pray regularly and help our brothers and sisters grow in faith; and to go out and testify about God to those around us! Amen!

Behold the diligent woodpecker, Throughout the seasons storing its food, Just as the clever little ants Wisely prepare for the journey ahead, Do not lie in idleness asleep, Forgetting the work each day entrusts to us, We must prepare for near and far, We must learn God's Word and act truthfully, Prayer must be our constant daily practice, Seeking the Holy Spirit's will revealed to us, The Gospel of salvation spreading forth, Living as a good example, the Father's blessings overflow…

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