I Guess She Didn't Get the Memo...

Today's post may at first seem a little tongue in cheek, but I assure you it also has some real substance and practical applications for our human lives as well. Yes. I said our human lives.

You see... this post was going to be titled "The Squirrel Wrangler," or perhaps even more appropriately, "The Wrangler Squirrel," but I like the chosen title best of all, because sometimes I don't always get the memo either. Life lessons can be learned in a variety of ways, by a variety of means, even by a variety of God's little critters, as in today's musing.

The other night I was listening to a replay of Sunday's sermon at Lazarus Church in Spring, Texas, the church where my son is the pastor. It's a nice way for me to still get to hear his message, though my home congregation is here in SA. Last Sunday's sermon was on "Anxiety"; the Scripture reading was Matthew 6:25-34 from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

An exerpt: "...Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? ...And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I (Jesus) say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these....."

As I thought about those passages this week, my mind traveled back to a scene that unfolded on my deck railing one morning a couple of weeks ago.

I was standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes, letting my mind wander as I gazed out the window to the backyard, when something caught my eye. My Wonder Mop that was hanging over the railing to dry was flailing about as if magically come to life via some sort of Disney animation! It was wild!

What I didn't see at first was the little squirrel yanking and twisting that mop as though its life depended upon it. It was a mama squirrel... or soon to be, that much was obvious. She was gnawing at those chamois-like strands with everything in her! I thought about shooing her away, but I was a bit mesmerized by the scene. At one pont she even stopped to pant for air, the whole ordeal being just a bit too much for her.

I wondered what ever in the world she was going to do with the strands if she managed to get them chewed through (which I can inform you she did indeed manage to do... and came back for more!) But alas, when she had worn herself to a frazzle and capturred three or so long pices in her mouth, she scurried up the laundry room roof and into a tree beyond. Apparently, she was "feathering"her nest with my mop!

I couldn't really stay mad, though I was indignant at first, because... I totally get feathering one's nest, especially with a little one... or six on the way.

Where I lacked understanding was why this little critter didn't just use leaves and twigs like every other squirrel mama. I mean, was there a Nest Beautiful constest or something going on that made her so intent on upgraded material?! The whole thing was pretty comical, especially as I thought of those babies being swaddled in soft chamois, smelling of lavender Fabuloso.

I don't think that little mama got the memo. Though she's neither a bird nor a flower, she is one of God's creatures, and He cares and provides beautifully, even for them. No need to wrangle a mop, just to trust in the one who created her.

There's a lesson there for me too.

Coming back to that Scripture from Jesus' sermon, I think about how often I am tempted to take matters into my own hands, working myself into a lather, sure the right and best outcome is totally up to me. Jesus says, "Don't worry. Don't fret. Your heavenly Father knows your every need and He will provide." It really comes down to trust, doesn't it. Do we believe those words? Is God faithful in honoring His promises?

The answer is a resounding, YES!!

YES, He is faithful. YES, He is able. YES, His word is true.

I know that in my heart. I beieve it. I confess it. Even still, there are times when I am like that little squirrel, using God as my back-up plan if I can't get the thing done myself. That, plain and simple, is sin. I battle it every day. My guess is that you do too. The good news is that there is forgiveness, mercy, and grace for every foul-up, if we simply run to our Father and ask for it.

And really... how thankful we can be that everything in this life does not depend on us... does not rest solely in our feeble hands! We needn't have any kind of back-up plan where God is concerned, because He is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. He is the only plan.

Wrangling mops or anything else...

is just ludicrous.

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