When I look out of my windows, everywhere I see a white white world. How beautiful to have the brown and sometimes dirty looking scene covered up by the whiteness of our last snowfall. A storm can cause distress for some and trouble when it has to be moved. Nevertheless, I enjoy a good snowstorm. Granted I don't generally have to deal with it. That reason probably adds to my enjoyment. Lately, I have kind of an imposed state of being trapped in my house. No, I am not being forced to stay home. It is just more comfortable to stay home than to venture out since I am finding it painful to walk.
At any rate, I enjoy the view from the window! Looking out one of the windows this week, I noticed a trail through the snow that seemed to come from the road south of our house, led to a large spruce tree and then seemed to continue. At that point, I had to move to a different window that was on the second story to better see the rest of the trail. I expected the trail to continue on through the yard and then into our grove or across our garden area. But it didn't!! I found it a bit mysterious. So, finally I needed to satisfy my curiosity and stepped outside onto the patio. I was thankful that it had been thoughtfully cleared of the 7 inches of snow that covered it and I could safely walk to the edge for my better look.
What I saw was even more confusing. The trail I was searching for did not appear. What I saw was a large circular area covered and messed up with lots of tracks. To me it appeared as if the track maker/makers stopped near our house and had a big party in that area. I wondered why there was a nice neat trail headed to the party area and then became a mess and then seemed to disappear. In past years during the summer I have observed several deer using that part of our yard as a good place for a nap. But the mess of tracks did not say napping place to me now.
I mentioned my mystery several times to my husband hoping he would wade out into the snow drift to see what I did not dare risk walking to with my painful hip. Finally, he got the message. After many minutes, he came to tell me about the "party." He told me that even he was confused for quite a while. He looked and looked and looked before noticing something that told him the answer. The party area is near a couple of trees that cause us to need to pick up or mow over what falls from these trees. Yes, we have several walnut trees that bore bountifully this past year. What he noticed on the snow was small bits of walnut husks and shells. And that was how he solved the mystery. What looked like a party was a squirrel searching for his winter harvest of walnuts that he knew were under the snow. There had been so many the fall before that apparently, he thought there was no need to store them away. He could just come and take what he needed--anytime. But 7 inches of new snow on top of the previous snows that have accumulated this winter hid his nuts pretty good. This week he had to work much harder to find his supper. So, he was digging here and there and everywhere in his confusion. His trail to that place was pretty direct. Finding them was not so direct.
There is perhaps a lesson to be learned from what the squirrel was doing. We have a collection of letters and stories given to us to be food. We call this collection our Bible. We have a choice. We can store these nuggets of gold (food) away in our minds. Or we can think, there is no need to store away, they will always be available. I agree, it seems as though we can find a Bible anywhere--everywhere. We have them on our bookshelves. Maybe you have a Bible at your bedside or on your desk. You can pick up your phone and have immediate access to over a hundred different versions. You probably have a computer that gives you even more ways to have access to the Bible with its versions, and study helps and commentaries. But none of that encourages you to store away the nuts of God's messages for us.
The squirrel appeared to be a bit confused as to the exact location of where each bit of truth was located under the snow. We have many letters from God. But if we aren't careful with our study and learn to depend on guidance from the Holy Spirit, our search for truth can be confusing. It will lead us into confusion at times.
Don't get confused in your search. Pray for guidance into all truth. Find the food that God gives and that He wants to nourish us with so that we may grow in health and happiness and in knowledge of His goodness and of His salvation for everyone.
