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Inspirational Message

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A squirrel slowly made his way up the path toward the unsuspecting man. Normally a squirrel goes the opposite direction of humans but this squirrel had a different agenda. He raced up the pants leg of Mr. Mason and plopped down on his shoulder. Mr. Mason, startled at first, tried to shoo him away but Timothy would have none of it. He wanted to play.

Timothy was a baby squirrel my older sister, Dana, and her friend, Katrina, found by way of a cat on our front door step. It was hurt and needed a little tender loving care by two compassionate young girls. They took care of it day after day until Timothy was back to full health. He began to follow them and would often “ride” on a shoulder wherever they would go. As a little boy, I was intrigued and amazed at this new, little friend in the neighborhood.

Eventually Katrina’s father created a makeshift nest out of a plastic milk jug & placed it in a tree in their backyard. Timothy, however, would often come down out of the tree and make his way to Katrina’s window for his favorite treat – grapes.

As I think back to this little squirrel named Timothy in my childhood and I compare it to the squirrels I saw in my backyard this morning, there is one huge difference: those squirrels in my yard are afraid of me and Timothy was not. Why? Because he was loved by two little girls who cared for and nurtured him. Timothy knew he was safe.

Jesus was our perfect example of one who truly loved people. The Bible says of Jesus in John 13:1, “Having loved His own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” Why did people love Jesus when He was rejected by most of the religious leaders of His day? He loved people where they were. His love was not always what people wanted to hear but it was what they needed to hear. Jesus’ love, in the end, gave them true life! And they followed Him. We are still following Him today because of His love.

Have you experienced Jesus’ love? If not, won’t you pick up a Bible and read the book of John to read about the one who loves you? If you are a follower of Jesus, but may not have experienced His love in a while, won’t you also reach out to Him in prayer and through getting to know Him again? He is waiting with loving, open arms.

The next time you see a squirrel bouncing along the grass looking for a nut or scurrying up a tree, think of Timothy and be reminded of God’s own love for you.

“Having loved His own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” John 13:1

William “Carey” Northington of One Master Ministries in Xenia may be contacted at www.OneMaster.org.