I sit in the cocooned shelter of the lanai and there he is!
"My" squirrel leaps from roof to trunk to waving palm branch with carefree abandon. He doesn't care that the thing he trusts could dump him in the remorseless river at any moment. Tail a-quiver he scarcely takes time to look where he is going but runs his joy with flying feet in the glad adventure of his life. He is the epitome of grace and agility, and I’m sure our Creator Father takes as much pleasure from his antics as I do.
What a pity we can’t be more like him, especially on days when the things that concern us cloud the sky and nag and needle our spirits to the ground. Wanting to escape is an all too human response to things that discourage us or that we can’t control and I freely admit there have been times when, like the Psalmist, I too have prayed: “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and find rest. How far away I would flee! In the wilderness I would remain. I would hurry to my shelter, far from this raging tempest.”
I had planned a completely different thought for today, but clearly sensed a change of direction as I was writing, so I believe with all my heart this is a rhema/living word for someone reading this today. With all my heart I encourage you that even our Lord Jesus was brought to a place where he prayed: “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” It can be profoundly challenging to even a mature faith, when, through no fault of our own, the carpet is ripped from under our feet and to our dismay, we find ourselves tumbling down a steep slope that we don’t really recognize and often feel ill-equipped to handle.
In the spirit I extend my hand in encouragement – LOOK UP, not down the slope. Like the Psalmist may you too say:
“I will look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there? YES! I know my help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth! He will not let me stumble;
the one who watches over me will not slumber….
The LORD himself watches over me!”
