One of our many chipmunks ventured out unto the snow this morning. Perhaps he heard the rabbit above and came up to say hello. He isn’t a true hibernator like some of the other creatures. Mostly he stays below feasting on the fruits of his summer’s toil. There are lots of creatures still moving about. When I was a boy it was rare to see a robin in January but that has changed. There are deer and a rather ratty looking red fox mixing their prints in the snow with those of the squirrels. A few nights ago I was awakened by the hooting of an owl. I wondered if he was lonely and calling for some female owl company. It wasn’t long until he hooted me back to sleep.
Sometimes we give sleep a bad name because of the parable of the ten virgins. But sleep is a good thing. It’s a time for body and mind to refresh for coming tasks. In the parable the five were not chastised for sleeping. Their problem was they had not prepared properly. So what does it mean to be ready? Through the years I have heard many presentations telling me to stop eating this and that, to be sure all my sins were forgiven, to read my Bible every day, to be sure I was tithing properly, to store food and water for the time of trouble. Oh the list goes on and on.
However, my list grows shorter and shorter as the years wane. I keep crossing things off and what I end up with is “trust Jesus.” He is able to as Paul says, “. . . to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” II Timothy 1:12
Written by Roger Bothwell on January 25, 2013
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell org