Over our Christmas break, my wife and I spent some time in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia doing some hikes and exploring much of God’s beautiful creation in the area. We have had the opportunity to explore many parks and states over the past five years and every trip has truly been a blessing. This particular trip was no exception. The weather most of the days was nice and warmer than expected. The mountainous views, sunrises, and sunsets were simply breathtaking. Just being out in the quietness of nature helps you escape from the hustle and bustle of life for a bit and rejuvenates your focus on our True Creator. It is very calming and peaceful.
When you are staying up in the mountains in the wilderness, however, that calmness and peacefulness can change rather quickly. One of those nights, in the middle of the night, my wife woke me up and said that she heard a noise out in the living room. I laid there for a minute and listened. I didn’t hear anything, but decided to get up and go check anyway. As I tiptoed out and surveyed the living room, I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary until something caught the corner of my eye. There, along one of the bottom of the curtains, was something I couldn’t quite identify at first. Was it a mouse? No. It was too big for that. Was it a chipmunk? No. Still too big. What was this thing? After about 30 seconds, it ran to the corner of the room and just sat there and looked at me. I got a clearer view of it now. I realized what it was at this point, a Southern Flying Squirrel! That’s right! A flying squirrel somehow got into our house. We have no idea how, but now the bigger challenge was getting it out!
Of course, before any attempt of removing it, I had to get a picture of it. I have taken many photos of wildlife over the years and was excited to add this animal to my collection. It’s not quite the way I wanted to capture it, but I’ll take what I can get! After the photo shoot, I told my wife to open the front door and I was going to chase it out. As I moved closer to it with a basket in my hand to nudge it, it suddenly jumped and literally glided across the room and onto a chair. I have to admit, it was a really cool sight. It then leaped into the kitchen and ran under the refrigerator. From that point, I was able to scare it out from under the fridge and chase it out the front door. The whole event went much smoother than we thought it would.
This entire situation, which we can laugh about now, served as a reminder of how things can happen unexpectedly. Our trip was moving along quite peacefully until that incident, which could have gone in a completely different direction and been a much worse outcome. I mean, a flying squirrel running around the house in the middle of the night is not something that even enters our thoughts. The truth is, like this random incident, unforeseen events happen in life. Some are much more serious: a loss of a loved one, a difficult financial situation, a surprising health issue. All of us could think of plenty of examples, including ones we may be experiencing now.
The good news, in fact, the great news about it all is that we serve an amazing God who loves us way beyond our understanding. He is there for us in the calm moments and in the storms. The Sons of Korah tell us in Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
King David tells us in Psalm 34:17
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears,
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Bible is filled with countless verses and examples that confirm this. No matter what curveballs life throws at us, we can cling to God’s Word, allow His Love to wash over us, and walk in His Everlasting Truth. He truly is our Deliverer!
Wayne Errig