I have lived in Little Rock for a couple of years now. The wildlife is a bit different than when I lived in Montana. Rumor has it that we have some animals here that you just don’t see up in the Northwest, like tarantulas and armadillos. I say rumor, because I have yet to see any live ones yet. I have seen a few armadillos dead in the road, but either there is some big conspiracy to stage dead armadillos on the road, or there really must be some live ones (I can’t say for sure if there are any dead tarantulas on the road. They would have to be pretty big to catch my attention).
My guess is there are lots of live animals that no one sees, roaming around just out of eyesight, all the time. What it would be like to be able to see through all the brush, leaves, dirt, rocks, etc. and just see all the wildlife that I normally cannot see?
This made me think about God. He can see all of the animals, even the ones we can’t. The God who created the universe knows how many hairs are on my head. He knows how many tarantulas are hiding in my neighborhood. He knows how many armadillos are just waiting for their chance to bravely cross a busy street.
Yet this same God, who knows everything about everything down to the smallest detail, knows my faults. He knows all the bad things I have done, even the ones I had a fleeting thought about, yet he loves and forgives me of them all. If you are anything like me, you have a bunch of things you are not proud of either.
Sometimes, the knowledge of my faults and the fear of failing again keep me from leading my family in the ways of God. Sure, I know I should and will get around to it sometime, but why not risk failure tomorrow instead of doing it right now? You know, things like leading my wife in daily prayer, sharing a short devotional time over dinner with my kids, loading the washing machine. But rest assured, God is more interested in our attempts than in our successes.
How can a God who knows everything about me love and cheer me on? I wish I truly understood how, but for now I will just rest in knowing He does. Do you feel a tug from God? An urging to lead your family? I know you do. And my encouragement … “Go for it!”
And if you were wondering, I am still waiting to see that live armadillo. Until then, I reserve the right to declare that live armadillos are the Bigfoot of Arkansas. No confirmed sightings yet.
Disclaimer: I am not an Arkansas native, and I am sure others have seen this mysterious armored animal. And for the record, I am not a big fan of spiders, so the Arkansas tarantula can stay hidden and I will be just fine.
Nice article with gems of truth inside!
Great post with gems for all. Good luck on your continued writing
Nice article, perhaps you just need more time out in the country. Back in the day, when I was at the UofA in Fayetteville I used to walk/jog around a small lake right outside of town. The highlight of those walks was the armadillo that would saunter along with me on the last leg of the route. For real, my jogging buddy was a Arkansas Armadillo.
Call me a skeptic, but… an unconfirmed sighting of a jogging armadillo?
Just kidding
Thanks for coming by.
I loved this. Well-written, substantive, and … so encouraging. Thanks for writing this.
I read somewhere that one Texas university published a study that confirmed that Armadillos are, indeed, born dead by the side of the road. Welcome to the blogosphere, John.
Good job. That article came at just the right time, brother!
Thanks Sam. Hope you are having a blessed day!