The Squirrel, a Catfish Carcass and a Cul-De-Sac

I need you to trust me on this story. It starts out rather odd, but I promise, it ends up getting to the point…….

I love to stroll around the block in the mornings.

• Just me,
• Jesus and Holy Spirit,
• the critters scampering around,
• my praise music in my ears and
• fresh air
• the reflections on the lake

I was going to tell this story without this first part about the squirrel, the catfish carcass and the cul-de-sac, but my ‘Business Bestie’ Edie told me it had to be included.  So here goes…..

It was one of those gorgeous mornings when the weather was almost perfect. It was around 7:30 am. To walk around the ‘block’ in my neighborhood is almost 1.5 miles if you include the four cul-de-sacs. When I walk in the mornings, I skip the cul-de-sacs.

As I was walking, that little voice said, ‘take this cul-de-sac’. I argued because there was a truck with really dark windows parked on the road and for safety reasons, I would typically avoid it.  But the little voice was persistent.  ‘Take the cul-de-sac.’  So, I did. It was non eventful. There was no one in the truck with the dark windows.

I walked out of the cul-de-sac and toward the gazebo and just as I looked up, something fell out of the oak tree. It wasn’t a leaf because a leaf would have meandered its way to the ground. This thing fell with a ‘kerplunk’. When I got closer, it was the carcass of a catfish. I then looked up and there sat a squirrel right where the carcass had fallen.

I stood there for a long moment…. a bit curious…… tried to get a picture of the squirrel….. but it was too quick for me, so I walked on. My mind kept thinking about this little experience.  Had I not listened to the little voice which told me to walk the cul-de-sac, I wouldn’t have witnessed a catfish carcass falling from a tree. I was meant to see this take place.

I promise, this story is going somewhere…….

Of course, my mind wondered about how a catfish carcass could come to rest in the tree in the first place and I venture to guess it was not the squirrel’s doing since they are primarily herbivorous. My guess is the many birds of prey which live around the lake. The tree was the closest place to stop and have lunch and then left the carcass there. It dried up and then the squirrel knocked it out of the tree.

So……here’s where it gets fun to be inside my thoughts for a second.

Hang on, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride……

As I wondered about the squirrel being herbivorous, my imagination swirled to the thought of squirrels all of a sudden getting a virus which made them carnivorous. What would happen? Would people panic? Would they worry about their small animals getting attacked by squirrels? Would they be worried about squirrels attacking humans?

(Told you that being inside my thoughts would be a bumpy ride. LOL)

Then…..as if falling from a tree like a catfish carcass, the following thought entered my mind……

“What does fear cause us to believe that we’d otherwise have never believed?”

• Could it make you question God’s promises?
• Could it make your trust in your heavenly father deteriorate?
• Could it make being careful and being full of fear feel like the same thing?
• Could it cause you to be distrustful of your fellow humans?
• Could it make us question the very things we’ve ALWAYS known to be true?

All very interesting questions for us right now in the time of COVID.

So…. In your life, what does fear cause you to believe that you’d otherwise have NEVER believed?

Here’s my prayer for you…..

Father God, thank you for your promises.  Thank you for all the scriptures which help us know your character. Thank you for being a wonderful Father who loves us so deeply that you provide us with promises so we can measure everything we hear by those promises. Thank you for creating my friend who is reading this and giving them the power and ability to create wealth. I pray that even when the entire world seems to be falling apart, that you are with us and you are bigger than any issues we may have. Thank you that we can bring all of our cares to you and know for certain that your plan is the best plan for us.  I ask all these things in Jesus Name,
Amen

Blessings,

Jennifer Edwards
Imaginative One