Message From Thack Cursillo closings at Camp Beckwith are always moving, filled with testimonies of transformation, rekindled faith, and the joy of Christian community. Yesterday’s worship service was no exception. Our pilgrims, Allen and Laurie Simpson, were beaming with joy from the experience! But this time, among the stories of grace and renewal, there was an unexpected visitor: a lost juvenile squirrel.
Now, I’ve worn many titles in my life—priest, lawyer, paratrooper—but on this day, I earned another: “Squirrel Whisperer.”
While Rebecca, Terri and I were walking to the chapel at Beckwith before the closing service, we spotted this juvenile squirrel in our path underneath the chapel. It was shaking, clearly disoriented and in need of… well, something. At first, we thought it might be looking for food, or maybe a safe place to hide. But as the minutes passed, it became apparent that this squirrel had a mission. And that mission, inexplicably, was me.
It tentatively approached us and began checking out each of us. It scurried around, inspected its options, and then made a beeline for me. It climbed on my shoe and began pulling at my shoelace with its teeth. Rebecca and Terri, witnesses to this odd devotion, found it highly amusing. Soon they had their cellphones out recording this unexpected encounter.
Perhaps this squirrel sensed something deeper. Maybe it knew that I, like it, had spent a lifetime navigating unexpected turns and experiences. Or maybe, it was a reminder that sometimes, when we feel lost, we’re drawn to those who won’t shoo us away. The latter may have been the case because it eventually found its way to Rebecca’s feet as well. Jesus spoke of how God cares for even the sparrows (and, I assume, the squirrels). If God’s eye is on the smallest creatures, then how much more does He care for us when we’re lost, frightened, or unsure of where to go next?
The little squirrel eventually scampered off, hopefully back to its mother. But in that brief encounter, I was reminded that God often speaks through the most unexpected messengers—even a persistent little rodent with a knack for picking out the right person to trust.
So if you ever find yourself lost—whether at Camp Beckwith or just in the twists and turns of life—remember that God has a way of leading us home, sometimes through a whisper, sometimes through grace, and occasionally, through a random squirrel who crosses our path. Peace, Thack
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