DUELING SQUIRRELS

I heard a commotion in the garden a few days ago. Two little squirrels were chasing each other up and down and all around our podocarpus trees. They were so quick! They ran from limb to trunk, trunk to limb, up one side, down the other, leaping and scrambling, making it hard to see who was pursuing and who was pursued. There was definitely a deep dislike between these two squirrels and they weren’t going to settle for peaceful cohabitation. As big as this place is, there just wasn’t enough space for the two of them.

Eventually, one of the squirrels ran off. He probably realized that even if he tried to hang around he wouldn’t be able to eat a leisurely meal. Once he’d gone, the remaining squirrel sat up on a high branch, bark-chattering to himself, most likely because he was upset by what he’d just experienced. It took a while, but soon enough he settled down and got back to business: eating. He now had the garden (and the bird feeders) all to himself.

A bit later I walked through the garden and noticed something out of place: some furry object was in the “fly-through” bird feeder. This wire feeder has big holes in the middle of it for little birds to fly through. But one of the holes was filled with fur…that moved! I approached slowly to take a closer look, when suddenly a furry face peered out of the other side of the feeder. Ah! It was the little squirrel with his body wedged through the hole, his head on one side of the feeder, his tail on the other! When he saw me, he had the most startled, guilty expression on his face, almost as if he’d been caught with his hand (or paw) in the cookie jar! Quickly, he scrambled up the chain that held the feeder, leaped across the branch it was attached to and jumped up high into the upper reaches of the tree to safety. He’d realized he really didn’t have the garden all to himself.

This little scene made me think about the story of Joseph in the Bible. He and his eleven brothers did not get along, mostly because they were jealous of him. Their dad made it clear Joseph was his favorite and his brothers didn’t like that at all. As their jealousy grew they eventually plotted to get rid of him. They probably thought that if Joseph was out of the way they could have their father all to themselves. When the opportunity arose, they chased Joseph down and sold him to slave-traders headed to Egypt. The brothers then lied to their father, leading him to believe Joseph had been killed, thinking their “secret” would be safe forever. But they didn’t realize that God, Who sees and knows everything, saw all that had happened. Nothing is hidden from His eyes. Years later when they were caught in their deception and they met Joseph face to face, they regretted all they’d done. You see, none of us ever has the garden all to ourselves. Good thing, too. Although they intended it for evil, God used it for good.

Lord, help me to never act independently, thinking You won’t see what I’m doing. I don’t want to be caught with my hand in the cookie jar when I see You face to face. Amen