A Lesson From a Furry Friend

I don’t mind saying—this past Sunday was strange at Church (to say the least). If you were here, you know what I am talking about. The first thing that happened before early church is that a dear member of our congregation got trapped in our new elevator because of an electrical issue and the Fire Department was called to get her out. That was just the start. Then a series of electrical problems came in rapid succession, which shut down the electronics in the sanctuary during the early service. Pastor Adam did a great job in changing to acoustical worship, without electrical instruments & audio/visual components, in the late service. You probably noticed the a/c was out across the church because of the electrical issue and the lights went low, or out, or began to flash like strobe lights in the education buildings. It was so crazy! When you left church you probably saw outside the church building on 1st street a FPL Truck and workers trying to fix the problem. After late worship, I checked with Tony Orlandi, our Church Administrator, as to what had happened. Well, all of this loss of electrical power and subsequent shutdowns were due to—Are you ready for it? A Squirrel! That’s right. A nutty squirrel decided to take a bite into some electrical equipment outside our church. He should have stuck with fruits and nuts because the menu of electrical components turned out to be his last supper. May our furry friend rest in peace. Notice to all squirrels: The transformers and electrical equipment are for power and light—not for hungry squirrels to take a bite.

As I have thought about this, I must say it is amazing to me that a small, harmless rat-like creature with a tail, could actually shut down so much power and affect so many people in church on a Sunday morning by simply chewing on electrical wiring. Shocking! : )

It reminds me of a verse in scripture: “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes, that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom” (Song of Songs 2:15). What is the meaning? The purpose of the vineyard is to produce a harvest of fruit. In Solomon’s day, the foxes were viewed as destructive animals that could destroy valuable vineyards and ruin great harvests of fruit. The word of instruction here is that you have to get rid of those pesky animals which destroy the treasured fruit.

That is a good reminder for us whether the lesson comes through crazy foxes or nutty squirrels. We need to beware of predators who could destroy our spiritual harvest—the fruit of the Spirit and the work of God in our lives. These predators may come from the influence of dangerous individuals or decadent cultural trends.
Whatever it is & whoever it is—you must deal with it decisively in your life. If you do not, then the power for godly living and the light of a positive witness will be gone. So a word of advice from your Pastor: Beware of the dangerous foxes (and squirrels). Chew on that today…

Devotedly yours,
Pastor Ron