A nutty faith

Just this morning, while I was attempting to apply my mind to my government book, I was distracted by a fat, fluffy brown squirrel out our living room window. It was sitting on our squirrel feeder (who invented those things anyway?), munching away. Every once and a while it would reach it’s furry little hand into the feeder and grab a handful of corn, and then sit stuffing them into it’s fat little cheeks. This went on for the next three hours, and I began to worry that we would soon have a very lazy, very obese squirrel on our hands. This naughty little fellow appeared to have abandoned his God-given role of collecting and storing nuts, and left his friends for an easier way out; mooching off of the naïve neighbors who want to feed the “cute little squirrels”.

The point of this picture is not to turn the reader to become anti-squirrel (Hammy of Over the Hedge is actually one of my favorite movie characters), but I believe we can learn something from our little friend sitting on the feeder, hour after hour. How often do we groan about our work, and then jump at the chance to live off the riches of others; the government, our parents, even our friends? And what about God? Do we always work hard to live a life pleasing to Him, so that we may not only partake of His blessings but bless Him in return? Or do we grab his mercy and grace only to turn our backs and scamper away? Our relationship with Christ can easily be taken for granted; as a one-time prayer that wins us a first class ticket to paradise.

Little Hammy in our front yard never thanked us for our hospitality. But you and I are not fat, greedy little squirrels and are fully able to thank and bless the God who gives us life and provides for us. Even as we partake in the blessings we are not even fit to receive, let us remember to thank the Giver for the gifts and riches He so mercifully bestows.