Skinny Squirrel

This is our dog, Bessie. Bess is a Brittany Spaniel who was born to hunt. She is a natural pointer and extremely intelligent. Bessie is a people pleasing sweetheart with a personality to match. It only takes one look at her ears to read her mood. Relaxed ears = relaxed mood. Fluffed up ears = ticked off. Perky ears = happy. Droopy, limp ears = naughty and knows it.


Bessie makes her dwelling in our pole barn. Don't feel bad for her. She's got it pretty darn good out there. She has lots of company. In fact, the barn is my husband's second home.


In good weather, I routinely walk Bess on a trail that circles our property. Since no leash is required, Bess wanders about following the plethora of scents that abound in the woods. Bessie frequently uncovers precious treasure.

Dog treasure. Mice. Birds. Plain old stink.

Her latest treasure: a black squirrel.

Weeks ago, Bess pranced up to me with her ears perky, proudly displaying the fat, black squirrel in her mouth. How the squirrel met its demise is unknown. I'd like to think it died a natural death, not a death at the paws and teeth of my pet. All I know for sure is that on this day, she began a new walk ritual. Her ritual goes like this: Dig up squirrel. Prance happily. Find new hiding spot. Bury squirrel.

For three weeks, Bessie has not deviated from this ritual. It seems that squirrel has been buried on every foot of our property. For three weeks, the squirrel has diminished in girth. For three weeks, the squirrel has increased in disgusting odor.

For three weeks, Bess has been consumed. She cannot control herself.

I have some stinking treasure in my life too. Treasure I bury. Treasure I constantly dig back up. My stinky treasure involves my mouth. More specifically my words. My speech and words don't always reflect the life I claim in Jesus. I know it's my nemesis, so when I wake each morning, I say a prayer that goes something like this: 'Please, God, help me to speak only those things that are uplifting. Help me not to get caught up in gossip and help my lips bring words of encouragement."

Yep. And that lasts until I walk from my house. And then, so frequently, I can't contain myself. I dig up that nastiness and participate in unhealthy talk.

Paul talks about his trouble with stinky ways in Romans 7:

"14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[c] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature[d] a slave to the law of sin."

Ah, yes. I love verse 25! "Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" I can't do it on my own, but only through Christ Jesus!  Yes!

As for Bessie? The black squirrel is gone. And today when I let her out, she returned with a new prize...a fat, BROWN squirrel. It never ends.