I was exhausted after a long day of packing and loading the truck. We were preparing to move from our home in Georgia to an uncertain future in Ohio. I only planned to lie on the floor for a minute but I fell asleep. As best I recall, it was a peaceful sleep until the morning wakeup call. With eyes abruptly open I discovered a small squirrel doing his best interpretation of Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance on my face. Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever had a squirrel dancing on your face, but I can tell you that it will get your heart pumping if you’re not expecting it. To tell the truth, I can’t think of a single situation where it would be appropriate to expect a squirrel to dance on your face. So, here we are. At this point the squirrel is just as surprised as I am. We looked at each other for the briefest of moments and he (it could have been a she; I don’t know) darted for the basement stairs. Leaving me to figure out what just happened.
I’m sharing this vignette because I have learned over many years in the church that some people over-spiritualize life events that are completely unnecessary. On one hand there are those who give glory to the devil. Some of you may have heard them. “I just want to testify tonight! This has been a trying week, glory to God! The devil has been pressing on me hard, praise His name! He sent a squirrel to torment me in my sleep, bless the Lord!” I’m sure that Satan, proud liar that he is, will gladly accept credit for this nocturnal nuisance, but is it really warranted.
On the other hand, there are those who are looking for messages from God in every oddity of life. This was not a Balaam’s donkey moment (Numbers 22:22-35). The squirrel didn’t look at me and say, “Good! Now that I have your attention, Thus saith the Lord…” Praise God, He still speaks to us in prophecy, visions, and dreams (Acts 2:17; Joel 2:28). I can attest that God has spoken to me and through me with a word of prophecy, and I have had prophetic dreams that have communicated or confirmed a specific word from the Lord. But, not every out of the ordinary occurrence is message from God.
In 2 Corinthians 2:11, Paul wrote to the church “…for we are not ignorant of his [Satan’s] designs.” Yes, Satan has a plan concerning your life just as God has a plan. Those plans are in opposition. God’s plan is laid out in two commands: love the Lord your God… love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:28-31). Satan’s design, similarly stated, is to turn your affection from God and bring enmity between you and your neighbor. The difference between Satan and God is further delineated in John’s Gospel, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (10:10).
That said, there is a third option. In response to Adam and Eve’s rebellion, God pronounced the consequences of their sin. The punishment entailed the loss of their idyllic relationship with nature. The woman, to whom God had given the blessing of childbearing, would now do so with sorrow. The man, to whom God had given the blessing of bringing forth life from the ground, would now do so with travailing (Genesis 3:16-19). In other words, not only did Adam and Eve bring hardship on themselves and every generation after them, but their sin brought a great change to the natural order of the earth. There are things in this world that happen because we live in a fallen world. There will come a glorious day when the reign of Jesus Christ will cause the earth’s order to be set right again (Isaiah 11:1-16; 65:17-25), but until then we praise God for His abiding presence and the promise of eternity in His glory.
As for those odd moments that remain. Well, sometimes it may be the devil. Sometimes it may be the Lord. But, sometimes it’s just a squirrel dancing on your face.