I heard him before I saw him. 

Tick, tick, tick, tick.

I continued walking about my yard enjoying the calm of the early morning.

Tick, tick, tick, tick.

I stopped.  My eyes searched for the source of the noise that hit my soul like a jackhammer on this tranquil start to a new day.

I finally spotted him.  The smallest of woodpeckers sitting on a tremendously thick tree branch.

His little head was moving at the speed of light as he hammered away fiercely.

This tiny fellow was clearly just beginning his young woodpecker life and hadn’t been schooled yet on the topic of “This Branch is Too Thick for You.”

I giggled as I watched him.  I also wondered if he really thought he was making any progress.  Would he eventually realize his efforts were futile?  Would Mom or Dad Woodpecker appear and redirect him to a branch that would be better suited for Junior?

In spite of those thoughts, though, I was internally cheering him on.

Because, in my heart, I desire to see the underdog win. 

If we’re being honest, we all do, don’t we?

That’s why people make movies about David and Goliath type stories or write books about down-and-out sports teams that rise to great victories against all odds. 

It resonates with us because we have all been the underdog at some point in our life.  We have all faced circumstances or challenges that just seemed far too great for us.

It’s why the Gospel hits our heart and soul so squarely.  Jesus willingly chose to position himself against all odds.  He appeared overwhelmed, outnumbered, and tremendously insignificant and weak. 

We cheer when we read “the end” of His story and learn of the eternal victory He secured for us.  He overcame the most impossible of circumstances and purposefully set the stage for us to be overcomers like He was.

“For everyone born of God is victorious and overcomes the world…” (I John 5:4 AMP)

And, while that promise is definitively true, some challenges take time.  Not all obstacles can be overcome instantaneously.  Hammering away might be required.

Whether it’s continuing to chip away on that new diet and lifestyle changes you’ve made to become healthier or undoing wrong thinking and bad habits from your past, some challenges require time, patience, and dedication in order to overcome.

But, overcoming is guaranteed.  Victory is certain for the one willing to keep chipping away.  Triumph, against all odds, is promised.

“…thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (I Cor. 15:57 HCSB)

Until next time, Grace and Glory!