How Cute is that Squirrel?

Where I live, the squirrels have populated. After all it is Fall and this is their go-to time to fetch as many nuts as they can to tide them over for winter. They are as cute as they can be……until they are gnawing through the cushions in our outdoor sitting area! Argh!

I remember a sandwich-snatching squirrel we met up with at Sea World. We had just sat down in a shady spot to eat our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. My six-year-old granddaughter was just about to take a bite of hers when this heister squirrel grabbed the sandwich out of her hands.

My daughter, Staci, recalls: “Mom, you were like a kamikaze, wonder woman, freak of nature, princess warrior, Joan of Arc, ready to die at the stake for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Hell hath no fury like a woman whose grandchild had her sandwich stolen by a squirrel!”

My daughter embellished that story just a tad, but I remember my first instincts were to let that squirrel know he had messed with the wrong grandmother.

As I thought about that hilarious scenario, I started thinking about the enemy of our souls and how he is always trying, and often succeeding, at stealing from us. For example, we woke up this morning with an overwhelming sense of great expectation that something good is going to happen to us today.

But then, the car doesn’t start. The kids are late for school. We are late for work. That’s the heister squirrel, rather the enemy of our souls, endeavoring to steal our joy and great expectations.

What about the argument we had with our spouse or child or friend? We shouldn’t think it was just a random disagreement. It was the enemy trying to steal our peace. Realizing it’s the enemy who is out to steal our joy and peace, is the first step in apprehending him before he gets away with it.

Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” (John 10:10). According to those words of Jesus, the thief is out to steal everything good in our lives – our job, our joy, our happiness, our health, our finances, our marriage, and our kids.

But hold it right there! The thief is a loser, and we ARE winners! God wants us to live life in all its fullness. It’s time to be on the offense against the enemy. Grab hold of God’s promise of abundant living. Don’t settle for less! Let’s fight for what is ours with relentless, kamikaze determination!