When we adopted Carlo, he was just two years old. He was an irresistible combination of sweet and rambunctious. Born in South America, he was healthy, smart, energetic, and beautiful on the inside and out; A perfect example of a Scarlet Macaw.

Never owning a bird before, we really had no idea what we were getting into. At first, we were enamored with our new family member and he seemed to be equally interested in us. Carlo loved interaction, he wasn’t content to stay in his cage if anyone was home, and he was happiest adorning a shoulder. We thought his predisposition toward snuggling seemed odd, for a bird, but in the absence of a dog, we went with it. It was actually adorable.

A few months after moving in, Carlo started what turned out to be a very ugly habit. He began to pluck out his own feathers. Little by little his feathers thinned, while at the same time subtly undergoing a personality change that wasn’t good. I kept all his tail feathers, which made a nice, colorful display but Carlo was becoming less and less attractive, to the point where we knew something was wrong.

We did some research and found out that parrots can begin to mutilate their own plumage for many reasons. While it was possible there was some underlying medical malady to blame, most likely he was reacting to increased anxiety. Our bird was stressed!

After some soul searching, it was clear, we had only ourselves to blame. We got him in June and bonded immediately, but August came around and Debby went back to work at the school and not long after, I took a job that kept me out of the house during much of the day also. Carlo had become isolated and bored and he was taking out his frustrations on himself.

Just like Carlo, we humans can easily slip into self-destruct mode. At first, the signs might be hard for others to notice, but before long the ravages of our degraded mindset and our poor decisions will begin to manifest.

It starts slowly. Perhaps first goes the honesty feather. It was just one little lie, that led to another…and another. It is only a matter of time before you are found out. One cannot keep a lifestyle of dishonesty going forever.

And there, on the floor, lies the semblance of your once proud plumage.

With your principles compromised, it’s hard to approach God as you had been. The word of God, ready to convict and forgive and encourage sits idle on the nightstand.

And the feather collection has begun.

Innocence could be the next feather to join the display on the shelf. “Pornography isn’t bad… It’s only natural. Plus, I only watched it once and it’s not like I am doing it myself!”

The feather of purity drops and the feather of virginity won’t be far behind.

Guilt overtakes you. You begin to recede into, and live in the darker parts of your mind. Depression takes hold. Gone is your positive attitude and with it, the hope and vision for your future you were once so excited about.

Those glorious feathers of attitude, hope and vision join the rest in what is looking like a pretty nice display up on the shelf.

And there is nothing like depression to exfoliate friendships. Life goes gray…the feathers of positive relationships and influences, activity and even diet all fall in what is no longer a subtle loss of beauty.

But there is good news.

In our research, we were encouraged to find out that Carlo’s wrongs could be made right. That if we could identify and rectify the root of the problem, his feathers would re-grow and he could, once again, look like new. Once we realized what was going on, we transformed our patio into a tropical aviary and were decidedly more proactive in inviting Carlo to take a shoulder and cuddle, once again — which he did most willingly. Amazingly, the bad behavior stopped, and while it took some time, he now sports a full set of those beautiful, bright red tail feathers.

So, here it is. No matter the feathers plucked, there always awaits a second chance in the arms of our savior. If you find yourself frustrated; weary of running back and forth in the cage with no direction and no freedom, run to Jesus! He won’t give up on you. He wants to restore you today.

To contact or read more poems and articles by Stephen please go to: http://www.faithwriters.com/member-profile.php?id=68560