November 6, 2019

A squirrel that was running across power lines near our church campus stepped in the wrong place. It cost him his life and involved many human hours to get the campus back to full power.

I thought about the impact of that mistake. It was not planned. We could call it innocent or ignorant behavior, but for the squirrel, it was fatal. For several people, it used up time and resources that could have been devoted elsewhere. It definitely interrupted their plans for that day.

Such a small animal caused a very large problem. It reminds me of the words of James, who talked about the tongue being very small but able to do major damage. A few words can also be very helpful. Little things often have big impact.

In the big picture of life in the Garden of Eden, the counterfeit god, Satan, made his challenge to Adam and Eve seem small. “What could be so bad about taking a bite from that one tree?” To Creator God, it was a very big issue – so big that their disobedience cost them their place in the Garden and plunged the human race into sin.

It is amazing to realize the impact of a simple smile toward someone who feels rejected. In today’s busy world, I find it interesting to note the response to simply holding a door open for someone who is a few steps behind, or letting someone who seems in a hurry go ahead in the grocery checkout line.

We can find reminders of how to do life better even from a squirrel who delayed the activities of the day for humans. If squirrel power is that significant, think of the impact of our life during one day – or moment.

Pastor Bill Ehmann