Flying squirrels LOVE the attic of our cottage at Rumney Bible Conference in New Hampshire.
We’re dealing with that.
The Terminix person noted that limbs from a couple of small beech trees were providing a red carpet for the squirrels. We, being experienced tree farmers, said piece of cake. Jim got his chainsaw, made
a notch, and aimed the smaller tree downhill toward the pond.
Um…wouldn’t go. The upper branches jammed against other trees, and there it sat.
Okay, maybe it needs a push from the larger tree. Yeah (looking up)…it’s sort of tilting the wrong direction, but a big notch should take care of it.
Didn’t. It tipped the wrong way, pinning the saw blade in the cut.
SERIOUS problem! The “wrong way” included a road AND power lines. Help, Lord!
Help was needed, and God provided two men who had both equipment and smarts for rectifying stupid acts. The small tree went down easy enough, but the other was a challenge. * Back the truck to the tree. * Tie a fat rope as high as possible. * String the rope downhill and around a big pine for leverage. * Hook it to the truck hitch. * Pull the truck forward and watch the tree change direction and fall obediently down the alley.
Our THANKFUL gauge hit 1000!
The men wouldn’t take money, but they charged us—in dulcet tones—DON’T EV-ER DO THAT AGAIN!
Humility is a byproduct of ego-shattering experience. Proverbs 11:12 says that pride can lead to disgrace, but humility brings wisdom. Who can put a price on that?
God loves humility. “Because …you humbled yourself before the Lord…and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the Lord.” 2 Kings 22:19
God picked up our distress call and sent two men who not only saved our hides but drummed sense into our thick heads.
Now I can confidently affirm that
On your Face before the Lord of Love, Grace, and Mercy
is not a bad place to be.
Can you Top This? Would love to hear your “humbling” stories. Comment below, or email me at egus@me.com My response can only be—BEEN THERE, DONE THAT.
~ ~ ~
In honor of National Read a Book Day, I direct you to CBD and its excellent price ($13) for An Unpresentable Glory. Tell ’em Ellie sent you.
We have a BIG old maple tree, maybe 100 years old, that has to come down instead of falling on us and our neighbors. We can’t do it ourselves – it’s much too big and hairy a job. So hiring a professional was a no-brainer.
However, if it was a small tree, we might have felt qualified enough to make a mess of it and probably damage our neighborly relationships as well.
So maybe I – me – I myself need to be “littler” daily, just getting out of bed. From that vantage point everything would look bigger. Instead of assuming “I can handle all the minor things on my schedule today”, I’d realize as a “small” person that it’s smarter to just follow the Big Guy with more wisdom than I’ll ever have. Whadaya think?
And I assume no flying squirrels or woodsmen were harmed in this adventure. Fun story, and Biblical lesson.