Scaredy Squirrel.

Have you ever read the children's book "Scaredy Squirrel?"

My sister gave it to Olivia when she was born and it is a hilarious book. Our star, Scaredy Squirrel doesn't ever leave his nut tree because he is afraid of the unknown. In fact, he is TERRIFIED of the unknown. Life can be pretty scary for a little squirrel, his fears are germs, poison ivy, killer bees, green martians, tarantulas and sharks.

Sounds a little crazy doesn't it? I'll give our star the spiders and killer bees but why on earth would a squirrel be afraid of the other things? Logic tells us that the odds of a squirrel running into a shark are pretty slim but he stays in his tree to avoid all things scary.

Even though he never plans to leave his tree he is prepared in case something does happen and he must vacate. He has the following things ready at all times: bug spray, a parachute, mask and rubber gloves, hard hat, antibacterial soap, calamine lotion, net, band-aid and sardines. In case of an emergency Scared Squirrel has an Exit Plan, in fact he has 4 different exit plans based on the type of emergency he must face. Thoughout this story Scaredy Squirrel watches for potential disasters and spends his day doing so.

Best laid plans...

The inevitable happens... something not part of the plan appears and he is forced to vacate his tree because of a killer bee. He drops his emergency kit on account of the bee and when he jumps to catch his kit he remembers the parachute is inside... the best part of the book comes next...

Something incredible happens, instead of falling to the ground he starts to glide! Scaredy Squirrel is no ordinary squirrel, he is a flying squirrel! SS instantly forgets all about the killer bee and everything else he was once afraid of and instantly feels overjoyed, adventurous, carefree and alive until he lands in a bush...

He plays dead for a while and finally realizes that nothing horrible is happening to him. This unplanned adventure makes SS realize it is time to make drastic changes in his life because even with his planning something surprising happened.

I think we can all be a little like SS. We make our plans, most of which include avoiding things we fear and often times are a little crazy like sharks and green martians, never taking into account that the unknown is around us at all times whether we choose to face it or not. The unknown can be exciting, scary, fun, challenging and everything else in between. We even plan for disaster and create exit strategies for ourselves in case our plans fall through.

The great thing is that we don't have to fear the unknown if we know the one who is in control of it all. I am sure that God laughs at my fears on a daily basis and often times the path I am put on forces me to face those fears.

Maybe it is because I am a new mom and don't have as much time for reading outside of my baby's books but I love Scaredy Squirrel's message and pray that I won't get too comfy in my safezone that I miss out on what God created me for. The truth is we can never plan the future and although we are called to be honest, loving, hard-working and loyal the most important thing we can do is look to God for what our next steps should be in times of disaster, joy and transition.