Crumbs

The year was 2005. My oldest sister and I took a 1,700-mile "sister's trip" to Sedona, Arizona. While there, our intentions were to check out the arts and culture, do some site-seeing, enjoy the out of Africa Wildlife Park, the Montezuma Castle National Monument, and visit surrounding towns to indulge in a variety of cuisines. Our biggest goal, however, was to visit the Grand Canyon! So in the middle of the week, we rented a Nissan SUV, headed north, and began the 109-mile trip to the steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River. We arrived 2 hours later. Like everyone says ... words (and even pictures) cannot do the Grand Canyon National Park justice. It's so much bigger than you can imagine and not one photograph can capture the immense layout. You simply have to see it for yourself.

It has been 14 years since my visit there and the memory remains in my mind. I'm writing this blog to share a simple little story about a squirrel that I met on the South Rim of the Canyon. I did not know it at the time, but as I look back to 2005, I realize the interaction I had with God's little creature can be applied to a spiritual lesson today.
As I made my way around a walkway, I noticed the cutest little squirrel sitting on a stone wall (yes, that's me in the picture). He would not approach the other visitors who tried desperately to get his attention. He would shake his tail a few times then scurry off a few feet from where he was, turn around and sit. Again and again, the visitors around me tried to coax him to come closer to them by offering water and chips from a bag. Each time he would scamper away just far enough out of their reach, turn and sit. It was obvious the little guy wanted nothing to do with the four folks in this picture.

I decided to give it a try. Standing very patiently, I knew that all he wanted was someone he could trust before taking any food. I've been called an animal whisperer before and felt confident I could win the furry little fellah' over. He would look at me as if to beg for just one small piece of anything. As I began to look at him more closely, I noticed that in all his God-created beauty, he was physically flawed. This little guy was missing some toes which made it somewhat hard for him to balance. As I looked even closer, his other foot was deformed and turned back so that he walked on the joint where the foot and leg connects. As I talk softly to him, the beauty of this little guy really stood out. Other squirrels were darting in and out and over the wall. None of these squirrels, however, could draw my attention from the hungry little one in front of me. He was struggling to stand steady as a strong wind blew. Yet, with great effort, he never gave in to the wind but stood firm on his one club foot. The strength, courage, and dedication of this deformed squirrel really touched my heart. As he was standing there on his one bad foot, not even indicating that he was so much as even thinking about giving in to his surroundings, it almost brought tears to my eyes. I thought about his dedication to life, how he stood strong among the other squirrels, and how he never gave up on what he wanted. But patiently he waited, just hoping for one small morsel of anything I might pull from my pocket. The people around us began to gather and watch the interaction between me and Mr. squirrel, amazed how others had failed yet I was able to win his trust.

So what lesson am I teaching today from my story? Every day in the cities of America, the homeless (God’s creatures) are on the street “desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fall from the rich man’s table” (Luke 16:21). For the homeless and needy, just “crumbs will do.” I wonder why peoples emotions are not touched by these precious souls, who are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), as much as I was when I observed the Grand Canyon squirrel. Instead of tossing them a “crumb”, however, many try to judge them by thinking, “If that person really wanted money he could work. Why should I give him my hard-earned money for which I work 10 hours a day?” As examples of Jesus, we should be thinking, “Could he really work, or was he like the deformed squirrel only I could not see it?” Was he having as much trouble standing in the challenging “winds” (problems) of life as the squirrel? Are you missing the inward beauty of the homeless and needy, or are you just not looking for the beauty, but only “seeing” the deformity?

All of this caused me to seriously think about the parable of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:19-31. The text tells us that this beggar “was laid” (literally, “was thrown”) or cast carelessly down by his bearers and left there. This beggar obviously suffered some physical malady which did not allow him to walk. The text also indicates that Lazarus was not fed from the crumbs, but only “desired” to be fed from the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table (Luke 16:21). Yet, the rich man could only see the undesirability of the man rather than the man’s need. Perhaps our lives would be more spiritually blessed, fulfilling, and enriched if we were better able to “see” the physical and spiritual needs of our fellow man rather than the “deformities” in their lives and at least be willing to feed them the “crumbs” which fall from our table.
Until next time,
-Pat-