THE LESSON OF THE MOTHER SQUIRREL

"Come quickly," my father called to my mother from the front porch where he had been watching his favorite squirrels. "You aren't going to believe this!"

Mother ran to join him at the porch railing where they witnessed a mother squirrel working feverishly to resuscitate her baby which had fallen from its nest high in the elm tree just a few feet away.

"It's been the most incredible sight," Daddy explained. "I saw the baby squirrel fall and immediately the mother squirrel leaped to the ground, turned the baby over on its back and began pushing up and down in its chest. Then the mother would alternately breathe into the limp baby's mouth trying to resuscitate it."

Mother and Daddy watched for several more minutes as this exercise was performed over and over until finally the baby squirrel moved slightly, then rolled over on its side. Before long, it was gingerly walking around the lawn and finally edged over to the railing where Daddy had lined up his usual supply of peanuts to feed them.

I've thought of that squirrel story often. When one of my young sons accidentally hit the other in the eye with a golf ball, I rushed to his aid, sped to the emergency room, all the while trying to comfort him with my one free arm. Why? Because I love him.

I thought about it when my husband fell backwards from the top rung of an extension ladder where he had been trimming a tall magnolia tree. I rushed to kneel beside him on the lawn, begging him to let me call an ambulance. He was shaken and bruised but was soon able to walk into the house where he recovered in just a few hours. I kept a close eye on him because I love him.

And I've thought of that story often in relation to our heavenly Father. He watches our every move, His loving eyes never leave us. And the minute we fall either physically or spiritually, He rushes to our side to provide comfort and care, instruction and caution, and more often than not, healing.

And all because He loves us.

There are no accidents in the life of a believer. If we are walking under the umbrella of God's protection, nothing will touch our lives without His permission. True, we won't always be instantly healed and we may go through intense suffering, but our souls are forever joined together with His. Our resuscitation may take place in this life or in the next.

Either way, we win.