The car technician called to tell me an “act of God” had been visited upon my vehicle. Apparently the “wrath of the Almighty” would not be covered by warranty. He inquired as to whether I had homeowners insurance? I sank against the wall with the phone frozen to my ear.
“What?” I squeaked at the technician.
“Ma’am, you got squirrels in your engine.”
“Pardon?”
“Ma’am. It’s the biggest darn squirrel’s nest the boys and I have ever seen. Buckets of acorns too. The company don’t cover squirrels Ma’am. Anything a squirrel does is an act of God.”
Later I saw the pictures taken for evidence. Under the hood, was a nest so large it blanketed most of the engine. The nest was made of densely packed leaves; twigs and grass glistening with carefully lined pastel foil candy wrappers. Seeing the wrappers solved the mystery, as to what happened to the contents of the plastic eggs, the Easter Bunny had left on the lawn the previous Easter. Apparently our talented interior decorating squirrels carefully lined the inside of their home with the shiny wrappers.
I love squirrels. In the rodent family they are the diabolical geniuses; cute, cunning, and very evil. I was sad to learn, as I was driving down the pike to the service center; sleepy hibernating squirrels tumbled out the back. I imagined what that must have looked like. Definitely a redneck moment.
For us, it turned out all right in the end (except for the loss of our entire squirrel population). Instead of thousand of dollars of damage, we got away with only a couple hundred. The squirrels only chewed thru the horn and windshield wiper lines.
What were those squirrels thinking? High in the trees, the squirrel nests were safe from predators. Instead the nests had been dismantled and carefully worked into the engine. I am sure the squirrels thought my engine was a wonderful new, warm, and safe place, to raise up their new babies. Instead their foolish behavior, at best, made them all homeless in the dead of winter, and most likely, cost them their lives.
Jesus said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:19-21
So dear reader, I wonder, are we like my poor foolish squirrels? Do we sometimes get caught up in what is new and exciting; and like the squirrels, put our treasures in danger? What treasures do you hold dear? Perhaps like me, your treasures include: family, financial security, and testimony of the gospel. What dangers do we face and what can we do to make correct choices to guard the treasures in our lives? Please do tell. Inquiring minds want to know.