Raining Cats, Dogs . . . and Squirrels?

One of the greatest benefits of home schooling is the expanded classroom. Truly, all the world’s a stage for learning. So, two weeks ago, before the coldfront settled into town, Ivy, Ellie and myself were taking advantage of a perfect day by studying math atop Grandma Sauder’s quilt spread out on the driveway. Patches, the mighty hunter, prowled the underbrush nearby.

I stepped inside and wouln’t you know it, just as I did, it started to rain – not cats and dogs, but squirrels! One tiny, baby squirrel to be exact.

Patches discovered him first. Ellie and Ivy fell in right behind, having heard the thud, and I rejoined them seconds later. The poor, little guy, nearly hairless with eyes not yet opened, groped his way over the tree roots and through the ivy vines at the base of an enormous beech between our house and the neighbor’s.

Where do you turn in times like these? Google, of course! Apparently, it’s not too uncommon for little squirrels to take a dive and bounce back. Things to worry about: abandonment by momma, especially if she smells (literally)human intervention,  baby’s temperature dropping because it’s out of the cozy nest, and dehydration. Google advice included calling a wildlife rescue organization, watching from a distance for about an hour to see if mom would show up and then, if she didn’t placing the baby in a box with a towel to warm up until help arrives.

We ended up doing all three. The rescue team had to travel about an hour to reach our home, so we waited and waited and waited. With just 15 minutes to go . . . you’re not going to believe this . . . I stepped inside again. How do I miss all the excitement? A second baby fell out of the nest!

I can  hear my Granny Shunk exclaiming, “Well, I never . . .” And honestly, we had never expereinced anything quite like this.

There are many things about this situation that I found somewhat unbelievable. First of all, that they even survived. The nest was at the tippy-top of that giant tree. Second, that we happened to be within earshot, otherwise we would have never known. Third, that the second squirrel landed just before help arrived. And, finally, with the price of gas what it is and the squirrel population holding its own, I was quite shocked that anyone would invest the better part of an hour’s drive to rescue a couple of scrawny, dime-a-dozen, not-even-remotely-cute-yet, sure-to-be-pesky-before-too-long rodents.

OK, work with me now. Somehow in surveying those nearly naked, completely vulnerable, ever-so-ordinary creatures, I was reminded of myself. Not just me either; I was reminded of you. Of us. All of us. For all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost by now I’m found, was blind but now I see.

Jesus. The One who came to rescue. Who is man that You are mindful of him?

Pretty sweet, but hang on because the analogy doesn’t stop there. Wish it did. Listen to what the Lord reveals in Revelation 3:17b, “. . . you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.”

It would be easy to assume that He is talking about our B.C. days here – before we knew Christ. At least then we could congratulate ourselves for having been this way once, but no longer. In reality, the Almighty is speaking to His own – to the church.

These particular believers in the church at Laodicea had grown cocky, confident of their own wealth and convinced they weren’t in any way needy. The Father reiterates His love for them even as He reproves and disciplines. He calls them to be zealous and repent. (Revelation 3:18-19)

All the world’s a stage for learning, especially when the Holy Spirit is doing the teaching. Two tiny squirrels. Two big lessons.

1) Give thanks for a Rescuer who invested way more than a pricey tank of gas and a two-hour round trip to save objects even more pathetic and pitiful than a pair of displaced common critters.

2) Take a good look at the pride and self-sufficiency in my heart and life. Realize how very desperate I am (and always will be) for God. Repent and walk in dependance day by day.