Dave's Deep Thoughts

Here's Pastor Dave McDowell's weekly devotional that he sends out to members of his church. Dave is my brother and serves as the Music Minister at Stewartstown UMC in PA.


Sometimes there is a fox in the hen house,
but lately there has been a squirrel on the road.

My drive to work takes me on a back country road.

It's not unusual for me to see wild life as I drive.....
deer, foxes, and yes..... squirrels.

During the last few weeks,
it seems that there has been one squirrel
who thinks he is going to collect some nuts for winter on the asphalt.

That was my first clue
that he wasn't the brightest bulb on the porch.

Recently, as I reach a certain stretch in the road,
there he is,
scurrying around trying to find his nuts
where nuts simply couldn't be found.

Now it isn't like he doesn't see me coming.
My car is visible from a quarter mile away.

As I get closer to the furry tyke,
he eventually figures out that nuts lose their value
if one has been run over by a car.

I'll give him credit for that much intelligence.

What I can't give him credit for,
is his decision making skills.

I ponder what is going on in that little furry noggin....

This is what he is doing as I get closer and closer..

go right,
no, go left,
no right,
no, no left
go right,
no, maybe left

The good Lord
has given this little creature
every skill to avoid being
turned into road kill...

reflexes, speed, agility

but what the little tyke doesn't have
is a brain,
at least a brain big enough to figure out
that ONE turn will get him to safety.

Now it's not just squirrels that have this problem,
put chipmunks and rabbits in the dunce corner as well.

Quite frankly,
it's hard to feel sorry for them.

But consider the turtle.

A sure sign of summer for me
is to see a turtle on the road,
warming itself.

When my hard shelled little friend sees me coming,
what does he do.....

Gotta go,
gotta get moving....
Let's get going.....
oh boy.....
this just isn't happening fast enough.....

You see the good Lord gave this guy a brain,
what he didn't give him
was speed.

It's hard for me not to feel sorry
for my slow footed friends.

And so what happens to squirrels and turtles.....
they all die..

People are like squirrels and turtles,
each gifted with certain attributes,
each lacking other abilities.

Think of a woman with maternal instincts unable to conceive,
while an ill-prepared teen girls finds herself pregnant.....

Or how about a person with a master's degree
who can speak 5 languages,
and finds himself in a homeless shelter.

Or a frumpy unimpressive looking lady,
who opens her mouth at a singing contest
and wows the world?

We are all different,
and we experience different life circumstances.

It is easy to measure out our compassion to others
based on performance.

It is easy to bestow mercy upon others
based on production.

It is easy to offer grace to others
if we understand the inability.

But God so loved the WORLD
that he sent His son.

He sent his son for all the slow motion
turtle type people in the world,

He sent his son for all the squirrel mortals
that don't know how to make up their minds.

He sent his son for everyone,
knowing in advance that he wouldn't get
the same response from everyone.

But He still did it.
Because every squirrel, every turtle matters.

That is the story of Christmas.
So the next time you approach
a squirrel or turtle in your life,
don't press down on the accelerator......

Slow down.

Take time to let that person know,
that they matter,
matter to you, and matter to God.

Who knows,
in doing so,
you might just find yourself
closer to the heart of God.

For God so loved the world,
that he gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him,
shall not perish,
but have everlasting life.
John 3:16
.