Do Squirrels Pray For God's Protection?

Jasper was standing at the patio door looking into the backyard with great intensity.  In fact, I wasn’t really paying attention to his level of intensity.  I didn’t notice just how much he was raring to go.  So, when I opened the door, I was practically knocked aside when he bolted out as if I had lit his tail on fire.  And he was followed closely by his friend Jake.

They both crossed the yard like streaks of lightning and that’s when I noticed a squirrel on the ground.  Those 3 words are very important, “on the ground”.  On the ground is not a good place for a squirrel to be when two dogs are present.  “The boys” [we refer to Jasper and Jake as “the boys”] …the boys reached the squirrel before he could make it to the nearby tree and I thought, “Oh no, that poor squirrel is a goner.”

But the squirrel pulled an amazing move.  I doubt that any running back in the NFL has ever pulled a move this slick.  He zig zagged with a quick cut and ran UNDER JASPER’S LEGS to the fence, several yards away, and then he ran up to the top of the fence!  I don’t know how he did it.  I wish I had video taped the whole thing because it would be awesome to watch it all in slow motion.

Then the squirrel ran one direction and switched back to run the other direction balanced on the top of the inch-wide fence.  The boys were jumping and barking and they were coming very close to grabbing the squirrel, while he ran as fast as he could back and forth on this thin perch.

I held my breath and watched, still thinking, “This squirrel’s in trouble.  I’m afraid they’re going to get him.”

But the squirrel had one more amazing move up his sleeve.  (Yes, this particular squirrel was wearing a long sleeved shirt.)  The squirrel caught Jake moving one direction and he quickly ran diagonally down the wall of the fence, the other direction.  Before he hit the ground—and just as Jasper was closing in—he leaped from the fence over Jasper’s back to the tree and then up the tree trunk.  Of course, once the squirrel was in the tree, he was on his turf.  He made it.  He survived.  I don’t know how he survived, but he did.  It’s one of those stories that the squirrel will be telling his little squirrel grandchildren someday.

[Chewing on an acorn]  “…That’s right, little ones, that’s when grandpa leaped right over the back of the big black dog.”

[Wide-eyed] “Really, grandpa, you really did that?”

“Yep, I could do moves like that in my sleep back in my younger days. [Munch, munch.]  Someone hand me one of those chocolate covered walnuts, would you?”

The boys stood at the base of the tree looking up and barking in a lame attempt at striking fear into the heart of the squirrel.  But they blew it.  The squirrel stood on a branch, high up in the tree, looked at the boys and laughed.  In fact, I think he may have even waved a little bit while he laughed…his sleeves flowing in the breeze.

As the boys walked back into the house, I teased them saying, “There were two of you guys, the squirrel was on the ground, and you still couldn’t get him.  That’s pretty pathetic.”

So, Jasper and Jake have pulled out their playbook and they are reviewing diagrams, trying to figure out where they went wrong.

The whole thing has made me wonder:  Do squirrels ever start their day with prayer, asking God for divine protection?  Because if I was this squirrel, I would definitely assume that today, I got a little help from on high.