Your Spiritual Journey
The Squirrel Feeder
The Squirrel Feeder
I do not remember a time that Autumn and I did not have an animal in our home. We started with a hamster about 24 years ago and have a long list of cherished pets that have come and gone. For the cats that have shared our home we have a bird feeder that sits in front of a window looking out into the front yard. The birds that visit the feeder have kept the cats entertained for hours.
A few years ago, I was a little less than thrilled with a new group of visitors to the feeder. The squirrels had arrived. At first, I was annoyed with them as I kept replacing the food on the feeder, put in a “squirrel proof pole”, and watched them leap a ridiculously long distance from a neighboring tree, defeating my efforts to keep them away from the feeder. I was not happy with what I saw as the birds flew away as the squirrels landed on the feeder and took over. It is called a bird feeder for a reason. How dare they steal from the birds. The other day I was sure one of them was smiling at me as he ate to his heart’s content.
After a few fever pitched battles with the squirrels, I decided to just sit back and watch. I was pleasantly surprised at what I saw. There seemed to be an understanding among the visitors to the feeder. It was almost a choreographed dance between the birds and the squirrels. The birds did not fly far away, and the squirrels never lingered for very long. Many of the birds were happy to pick up the seeds from the ground as the squirrels dropped them. As for the cats, they were entertained by the action regardless of if the visitors were wearing fur or feathers. Each of them worked together as if they had a part to play. I guess my part was to stop worrying about it and make sure the feeder was full.
This made me think of Matthew 6:25-26. Therefore, I say to you do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
I continue to be amazed at God’s creation and appreciate His reassurance to us to not worry so much. Jesus goes on to tell us later in chapter 6 to seek first the kingdom of God. If we focus less on what we want or believe is important and more on what God wants for us, we may be surprised at what He shows us.
In Christian Love,
Bob
