Squirrels get a bad rap. I know from experience—watching my family's ongoing bird-feeder vs. squirrel feud of feuds—but I can't help admiring their tenacity.
Take my family's furry rival, for example. The bird food has switched branches, seen branches removed, been strung from the clothesline, from fishing wire, from the eaves, and the squirrel has always prevailed. Annoying as it is for those in my family who are not squirrel sympathizers, I happen to find it kind of awesome.
I don't relate, let it be known. When faced with a challenge, my first instinct is rarely to attack it from all angles, notch up my effort and push through adversity until I overcome. I, you might say, do not have a squirrel mentality. I'm more of an oh-well-I-guess-it's-just-not-meant-to-be kind of gal, and I adjust my goals accordingly. Not proud of it. Just saying.
There are people who do have the squirrel mentality—who don't take "no" for an answer and allow nothing to keep them from striving for their goals, and I admire that, especially in light of Scripture, which tells us to do everything as if for God.
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men. (Col. 3:23)
Now, if God contracted me for a task, I wouldn't look at the challenges ahead and say, "Ah, you know what? This isn't right for me. I prefer less taxing undertakings. Sorry!"
Yeah, right. If I were assigned a task by God Himself, I hope I'd have more tenacity than that. I hope I'd look at the obstacles ahead and dedicate myself to tackling them from any and every angle until I accomplished what He asked of me. I hope I'd have the squirrel mentality if God were requesting something of me.
Hold up, though.
Isn't He?
We all have a purpose to glorify God with the means we are given. That includes our time, our passions, our gifts, our services, our hearts, our energy, our everything, and that is a directive straight from Him. So if our path is, in fact, God-ordained, and if adversity arises because, of course, it will, and if we are called to do everything as unto God because it should be, don't we all need a bit of the squirrel mentality?
What started as a tribute to Squirrel Appreciation Day has become a challenge to myself and to all of us. In everything you do with the blessings you have been given, be wholehearted, glorifying God in every deed, refusing to yield to any obstacle that might keep you from fulfilling a God-given objective.
I'm thanking God for squirrels today. Happy squirrel-appreciating, y'all.
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