All Creatures, Great and Small
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:40, NIV)
(All God’s Creatures Devotional, written by Lucy H. Chambers)
Just before dawn, I let our dog, Max, out. Beautiful pink clouds filled the sky. When I looked down at their reflection in the pool, a saw a baby possum clinging to the edge. I put Max inside so he wouldn’t try to eat it, then I scooped the little creature out and placed it under the big leaves of an oak-leaf hydrangea.
I looked more carefully to see if it had drowned or was just playing dead, and I noticed its thin tail and long snout. You’re not a possum, you’re a rat! Then it woke up and stumbled away under the hydrangea. It was clearly a possum.
All morning, I found myself pondering, If I thought it was a rat, would I tried to have saved it? Is a possum better than a rat? If rats invade my space, I want them gone. But I don’t want a rat to drown in my pool. Yes, rats can cause problems, and they scare me, but they’re an important part of the ecosystem, a purposeful part of creation. All creatures deserve a chance at life.
I thought about people I see around me every day; successful people and people who are down on their luck; people who obviously contribute to society and others whose contributions are not as obvious; people like me and people very different from me. Do I extend them all the same grace? That little possum reminded me it’s not my job to decide who is worthy of my care. If a creature is drowning, it’s my job to help. Possum or rat, prince or beggar, when one is in need, I want to help.
Dear Lord of all, help me to see the sacred wholeness of Your creation and to care for all Your creatures, even if I don’t fully understand their role. AMEN.