Who’s the Greedy One Here? Part 1 [SHAPED BY FAITH]

Squirrels have been stealing my strawberries all summer long, so I shouldn't feel selfish for guarding them, right?

This year we planted ever-bearing strawberries in the backyard.  The whole family has been super excited to enjoy this crop.  All summer long I have been watching my strawberry plants.  I see the beautiful berries begin to turn from the white stage to red-ripeness and I anxiously hurry to the garden to gather the bounty.  But, more often than not, those pesky squirrels have gotten to my berries before I can!

Finally last weekend, I spent $25 on a net and pegs to cover and protect my strawberries.  Then I spent an hour cutting and installing it.  The next morning, I checked on the nets and spied a large, beautiful half-white, half-red strawberry.  I knew that it would be ready to pick the next day, and I felt confident that my nets would protect my harvest from intruders!

Monday morning, my son and I rushed out to the garden expecting to pick our first ripe strawberry in weeks.  What we found instead was a hole in our net where the squirrels had chewed through and stolen my strawberry!  ARRGGHHHH!!!

I returned inside feeling betrayed and foolish.  Wasted money, wasted time, wasted hopes, all for what?  A tiny crop of strawberries?  I could buy 10 pints of strawberries for the cost of that net!  In my frustration I flipped open my Bible and landed on the wise words of Proverbs 11:24.

“One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.”

I sighed, closed my Bible and said to my son, “I guess this means that God wants us to share our strawberries with the squirrels.”  My heart was heavy at this thought.

To be continued…