Why Did the Possum Cross the Road?

Today I saw a possum, presumably crossing... to get to the other side. Not that a possum is a strange sight to me. I grew up in a rural neighborhood where wildlife was prevalent, so possums and possums-on-the-half-shell (armadillos) made their homes near my house. But today’s sighting was different. I’m now in an urban setting, not far from a freeway and there’s no big wooded area nearby. There are some small sections of trees and bushes and the occasional empty lot, but that’s it. I was just surprised to see the possum walk away from one house, cross the street and into the next yard. I imagined that it was a mother possum walking home to her children to feed and protect them. I stopped to watch her eventually disappear into the bushes and wondered “How does she eat? Is she sharing the neighbor’s cat food?” I then thought about the scripture from Luke 12:22-31 where Jesus talks about the how God takes care of the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. I had to smile and think that Mrs. Possum and her family would be just fine. I didn’t need to jump in and try to control the situation or whatever problem I could dream up.

Life happens. Mankind is not capable of controlling time or every single event that happens, no matter how much we try. God is in control, and when we lose sight of that fact we begin to worry and fret over how everything will play out. The little possum I saw didn’t sit in the middle of the road, biting her nails and crying “Woe is me.” She was simply headed back into the little bit of “woods” that was available for her and her family. God provided the shelter and the food for them. Jesus reminds us, with his words about the lilies and the birds, that God is our provider in all things. Yes, we have jobs and work hard to give ourselves homes, cars, clothes and food, but when we fool ourselves into thinking that we did that on our own, we miss out on the comfort of knowing that God is constantly watching over us and caring for us.

When I was a child, my family would take long trips across the country by car. As we would drive into the evening I would get sleepy. It was easy for me to sleep because I knew dad or mom was driving and in charge. I was safe no matter whether I was asleep or awake. Knowing that God is driving and in charge gives me an even higher level of comfort. If He can take care of the lilies and the birds, and the possum family, then He can certainly take care of me. Because God created all things and loves me enough to provide and care for me, I want to be faithful in responding to Him by keeping Him first in my life.

Look around your home and your neighborhood. How can you see God’s providence there? How many times have you thanked Him for helping you out of a sticky situation? Have you noticed that when there seems to be no answer to a problem and you cry out for His help and guidance, that He is faithful to answer you, even if His answer is no? He is the all-wise one, so will you let Him shelter you, feed you, guide you and protect you?