The Raccoon That Loved Me

I’m not fond of raccoons. But there was a raccoon that fell in love with me. Kind of…

At our local landfill, the routine is to drive up an elevated area and discharge trash into the dumpster below. They’re huge—seven feet deep. Looking down into the nearly empty container, I spotted a coonskin cap. Suddenly it moved. A real raccoon.

Instantly the raccoon stood up on its rear legs reaching upward with its paws. Childlike; reaching, pleading, longing for help, a rescuer…a way out. This raccoon was trapped in the smooth walled dumpster—its coffin. It kept reaching towards me.

Emotions shifted my typical thinking from: “Nuisance.” To: “Poor, adorable, helpless raccoon.” So I piled my trash in a corner as high as possible. The raccoon climbed upward. I reached down with a box, giving the critter its final boost to freedom.

Instantly the raccoon dashed across the asphalt into the adjacent woods. No, “Thank you.” No glance back. Goodbye love.

I stood there thinking: “Wow, that’s just the way so many people treat God.”

A friend of mine said as she was going through another series of life-calamities: “I’ve been talking to God a lot.” Every time she gets in trouble. And God has bailed her out repeatedly. Then like the raccoon, she dashes away, no looking back…so much for loving God.

Jesus said, “Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened.” Maybe trapped at the bottom of a life-dumpster. “Come”; then Jesus promises: “I will give you rest.” And one of the things I love about Jesus, He will accept us back no matter how many times we’ve dashed away.

Need His rest, His rescue? Jesus is reaching out.

This time, don’t dash away. Don’t be a raccoon. Stay with Jesus. Thank Jesus. Love Jesus.