Catch the little fox (squirrels)

We have a lot of squirrels in our yard. In fact, a couple days ago, there were eight of the tasty little rodents in the same ash tree in our front yard. Because there are so many, every now and then, the power goes out, because one of those enterprising critters has decided to add some excitement to his life by chewing on a power line. It’s not the end of the world (at least not for us. It pretty much always is for him), but it does interrupt the flow of power from Ameren to our house. Which is pretty much a bummer, especially if it's cold outside or if there's a large number of people coming over soon. Both kinds of circumstances have occurred. Repeatedly.

The last time it happened, it got me to thinking. In some ways, I can be just like one of those silly squirrels. Like them, I sometimes do, say, or think things that I know I shouldn't, hoping that they will add a level of spark to my life, or at least make me feel better. And like the squirrel, I seem to do so at times with little appreciation or understanding of the consequences or the level of destruction it will bring into my life, my relationship with God, or my relationships with others. Even when I decide to give the "wire" of sin just a "little nibble." On top of that, to the extent that I am in love with my sin, it cuts the flow of God's power into my life. It's not the He who made the ear has gone deaf. It's more that that He refuses to listen as long as I think I can continue to love my sin and Him at the same time. I can’t. Either I love God and consequently hate sin, or love sin and hate God. There is no third option.