Me, You & Squirrels

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:” 2 Timothy 4:7

Squirrels. Cute Furry. Gray. Nimble. 

I decided to purchase more bird feeders this spring. (Bird watching during a pandemic is one thing which wasn’t prohibited.) I enjoy sitting in my glider, on the front porch, watching my feathered friends feed. Except, the squirrels like birdseed too! 

I would fill up the feeders first thing  in the morning and by the evening the feeders were bare. I know birds cannot possibly consume that much seed and when I’d open my front door, I’d see bird feeders twisting violently - the undeniable proof of guilty, scampering squirrels.  

No matter what I tried, nothing seemed to prevent the furry thieves from stealing the bird seed. So, I bought a squirrel feeder. Can you guess what happened? If you said they left the bird feeders alone...you’d be incorrect. They ate all their food and then robbed the bird feeders too. I have no idea where they put it all!

I’d watch them scamper here and there. They go to whatever extreme it takes to get what they want. They are determined. Persistent. They simply won’t give up! 

I thought I’d store the food in a hard, plastic tote for safe keeping. To my amazement, the squirrels chewed right through it in just an hour or so. They were determined to get what they wanted no matter what it took. 

Yes, as of late, my word of choice for describing squirrels is tenacity. 

Tenacity = Persistence

My thoughts drifted to the spiritual realm and I thought to myself, “I want to live like that in my spiritual life.” I want to be tenacious! Persistent. Determined. I don’t want to give up, throw in the towel, or lay down without fighting back. I want to be like those squirrels. 

I think of Jacob. How he wrestled with the angel until the break of day. With his hip out of joint, he had to walk with a limp, but he didn’t quit until he got a blessing. He was determined. Persistent. 

I think about Rachel and Hannah desiring a child and how they travailed until God gave them a child. 

And think of the man who’s friends let him down through the roof to get to Jesus for healing. That was pretty drastic, don’t you think? They didn’t give up after seeing the obvious obstacles before them. 

These people were determined. Persistent. Tenacious. Nothing would stop them from receiving what they desired from the Lord. 

I want to be like that! I don’t want anything I face in life to deter me from giving God my best. I don’t want to allow trials to keep me from receiving all God has for me. I don’t want to quit, throw in the towel or give up. I want to be like Paul. I want to stand up and say I have fought the good fight. Kept the faith. Finished the course. No matter what comes my way. I want to testify that trials come and make me stronger. I want to have the squirrel mentality. 

I hope the next time you see a squirrel, that you’ll remember this word: tenacity. I hope you’ll remember this post and press onward to all God has in store for you no matter what comes your way. I’ll be right here cheering you on too. 

Here’s a little video I took. Enjoy! Smile. Be tenacious!