The cow or the squirrel.

I get the chance to see a lot of different kinds of wildlife on my to work in the mornings.  I have seen lots of deer, too often crossing in front of me.  I have seen foxes playing.  I have seen possums, snakes, (yuck), and skunks, mostly dead on the road (yuck again).  One day last week God put in my mind the strange comparison of a cow and a squirel.  I saw both on my way to work one morning.

Now these animals have some things in common.  They are both mammals, they both have tails, but beyond that their comparisons kind of stop.  I felt God posing the question to me which one of these are you most like?

The cow is very docile, very focused, very calm, content in a way.  Think about it.  The cow is usually in a fence in area.  Unless it is looking for a wild night, then I am not sure how, but they apparently can jump a fence.  I am not sure how you get enough momentum to get a cow over a fence.  I quess if one can jump over the moon then a fence is no barrier for love.  Beyond that a cow is pretty content to remain in one area.  The cow knows it's purpose.  I am to stand here, eat grass, chew my cud.  That is pretty much a cow's life.  But it seems to know that is it's life and accepts that.  It does what God created it to do.

Now squirels are a different story.  Have you ever had a squirel run in front of your car?  You slow down and breathe a sigh of relief when it runs to the other side of the road.  Only to have it change it's mind and dart right back under your car.  Squirels are like a Junior high girl.  They are flighty, all over the place, and usually chasing something.  They are fun to watch because they are unpredictable.  You never know which way they are going to run.  But they to are doing what God called them to do.  They run about, busy, storing up food for winter.

So which one am I most of the time?  Not really sure, and not really sure what God was trying to show me.  I think it was a lesson in being content where you are.  That sometimes my life will look like a squirels.  It will be full, and jumbled, and I may feel like I am dashing in front of cars all day long, but I need to keep my eyes on his purpose.  At other times my life may be calm like the cow.  That my focus then is to stop, mull it over, and chew the cud.  No matter which animal my life may resemble.  I need to be doing what God called me to do in that moment, in that season.  And I need to be content doing it.

Matt 6:25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life...."

Are you a squirel or cow today?