All Creatures

 

My neighborhood is home to an abundance of non-human creatures. Rabbits are everywhere. Birds fill the trees. Bobcats and coyotes roam. I would guess that squirrels probably rival the humans in terms of numbers. The towering oaks that make our streets so lovely provide a squirrel paradise.

As I rounded a corner, this neighbor was eating a snack on a patch of cool lawn. Instead of scurrying away as I approached, it decided instead to strike a pose, perhaps showing me its best side for this profile shot. I waited for the squirrel to run away, but it just stood still. It was a bit of a standoff. The squirrel won. I had to be on my way.

Such moments remind me that we are all creatures loved and sustained by the same Creator. We read in the Book of Job,

“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you;

the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you;

or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you;

and the fish of the sea will declare to you.

Who among all these does not know

that the hand of the Lord has done this?

In his hand is the life of every living thing

and the breath of all mankind.”

I wonder what this little neighbor thought when they saw me, large strange creature that I am. I wonder if they are conscious of the fact that God is the source of all our lives. I don’t know, but I’m glad that their life makes me more grateful for being a part of a God’s wide and diverse creation.

Peace.