The Daredevil Squirrel
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 1 Corinthians 9:24 (NKJV)
While I hate to admit it, I am a little squirrely! Perhaps we all are in our own way. I would like to think that I demonstrate more of the good qualities that Crystal Storms (All God’s Creatures) has discovered.
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The squirrel stood on the railing and sniffed at the pole. He took one tentative step and then another. Too shaky. He returned to the railing.
Filled to the brim with seed, the new bird feeder hung from the end of a horizontal pole attached to a deck not far from my home. I watched from the couch, fascinated by his persistent efforts to reach his goal. My sliding glass door gave me full view of his pursuits.
The squirrel tried again. This time his efforts took him halfway across the thin pole. He needed a new approach.
This time he made it to the top of the feeder. The pole stayed steady when he crossed it with speed, but the feeder swung under his weight. He leaped back to the safety of the railing.
My stomach tightened. He raced across the hanger again and stretched himself to reach his afternoon snack. I thought he’d lose his grip and feared the worst. But he leapt back to the railing at the last second.
Again and again, he ran back and forth across that pole, as I chopped vegetables, I thought about how hard he had worked to reach his goal. I told my husband of the daredevil squirrel’s antics. How his failed attempts did not stop him. How when one approach didn’t work, he found another. How he never gave up.
The squirrel reminded me God has not called me to give up when the odds seem stacked against me. He has equipped me by His grace to persevere and complete my race.
Lord, thank You for Your grace that enables me to both run and complete my race. Please give me fresh ideas that allow me to overcome the hurdles I face. AMEN.