A Curious Robin in our campground
We were camping in Darnley, Prince Edward Island when it happened.
It was early in the morning, and my wife was enjoying some quiet time with God
while the boys and I slept. I was in the midst of a dream about the Woodleigh
Replicas that we had visited the day before. In fact, I was standing in the
miniature Tower of London, admiring the replicas of the British crown jewels and
wondering how the stones could shine so brightly, even in the dim light, when
suddenly the sound of panicky screams invaded my peaceful reflection. In my
dream, I tried to look and see where the disturbance was coming from, but I
couldn't see anything.
The persistence of the screaming eventually caused me to try to open my eyes,
and I found myself staring straight into the dazed, frightened eyes of a
squirrel! It was only there for a moment before, accompanied by more
high-pitched shrieks, it darted in the other end of the trailer. What is THIS
THING doing in MY dream?
As the screaming continued, it occurred to me that perhaps I was no longer
dreaming, but that there was, really a squirrel in our tent trailer, and the
"music" that accompanied its antics came from none other than my poor wife!
Fully awake by now, I immediately pieced together what had happened. The day
before, we had set up camp in the rain. In our haste, we must have neglected to
firmly stick down the Velcro that normally holds the canvas flaps to the
underneath side of the beds. Being curious by nature, the squirrel would
naturally have been drawn to investigate this red-dirt trailer with its gaping
holes that had invaded its territory, and quite possibly it was further
motivated by the smell of food on the inside. The poor creature had no idea it
would be discovered. The thought of all that "people food" was simply more of a
temptation than it could bear!
What it hadn't banked upon was that there would be a woman in the trailer who
WASN'T asleep. Nor had it accounted for the fact that humans react when
startled, and sometimes that reaction, especially when it comes from the female
gender, consists of high-pitched, ear-piercing sounds that can be damaging to
sensitive ears!
As I watched the squirrel leap from the boys' bed to our bed, up the wall,
across the table, down to the floor, and up to the curtains, I could almost hear
it saying: "Help! I need to get out of here! There is some lunatic on the loose
in this trailer! Had I known I would have kept my nose in my own hazelnuts!"
But finally, it heard a tenor voice calling out some very sensible words above
the squeals: "Open the door!"
"Yes," it must have said. "Open the door so I can get OUT of here before my
eardrums explode!"
In a moment, the door flew open and it escaped its fateful destiny.
That squirrel learned an important lesson that day. Don't ever trust female
humans! They are out to destroy you with their incessant high-pitched sounds! In
fact, I can almost imagine its thoughts as it scampered into the brush: "I think
I'll just stick to looking in the brush for my dinner next time!"
You have to wonder if squirrels are the only creatures to risk their lives in
order to satisfy some desire. That same morning I noticed a robin carefully
approaching another campsite. It looked left and then right, and though it
proceeded, it stopped every few feet to look around. Finally it found something
of interest, picked it up in its beak and quickly flew away. It was lucky! It
didn't encounter the same kind of creature as that poor squirrel!
Curiosity may seem quite innocent at first. It may lead to unheard discoveries
and enhanced knowledge. However, curiosity can also open a can of deadly worms.
Sin entered our world through curiosity: "I wonder what it must be like to know
the difference between good and evil," Eve thought. And before you know it, you
lose your innocence and become addicted to an unshakable vice.
"I wonder what a cigarette must taste like."
"Everybody I know does it. Why can't I look at naked girls?"
"I need one of these, and mom won't buy it for me. Nobody's looking, why can't I
take it home?"
The taste of sin is addictive and eventually destroys your whole inner being.
Jesus asked a pertinent question: "What good will it be for a man if he gains
the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for
his soul?" (Matt 16:26 NIV)
Is curiosity worth the risk? Ask that poor squirrel. He has some insights on the
subject!
Rob Chaffart
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