Page 41 - Dainfern Precinct Living issue 7 2022

Food for Thought

MORE INTERESTING

SQUIRREL ANTICS

BY PETER STOFFBERG

e live in strange times. Take for example the
terror unleashed on the town of Buckley
Win Northern Wales over Christmas last year.
Eighteen vicious attacks in 48 hours left residents
terrified of leaving their homes. Victims reported
being wounded on their hands and heads after being
ambushed from behind dustbins – some people
were even chased down the street. Strange indeed,
especially since the perpetrator was a single, solitary
squirrel.
Resident Corrine Reynolds eventually restored peace
and order by trapping the infamous squirrel known as
‘Stripe’. She’d been feeding the creature for a number
of weeks before it went savage. It wouldn’t be the first
time a wild animal became aggressive after being fed,
but it is surprising for that kind of aggression to come
in such a cute package.

As residents emerged from their squirrel-imposed
isolation, they learned that Stripe could not, by law,
be released back into the wild. His species is classified
as invasive in Wales and so the SPCA announced that
they were obliged to put him down. The townsfolks’
sentiments quickly turned from fear to sympathy and
they protested. It’s not clear if they picketed publicly,
nor can it be confirmed if any of the protesters had
bandaged fingers or heads, but the sudden change of
heart is interesting. ON SITE SUNDAY SERVICES @ 9h30
Sometimes we’re able to erase pain from our www.familychurch.online
memories, it’s a trait that helps us to cope and get DAINFERN COLLEGE AUDITORIUM
back up after major setbacks. That’s wonderful, but
it’s also a trait that can cause us to be hurt by the
same mistakes, over and over again. I’m not in favour process, regardless of the hurt it caused. We do this
of euthanising Stripe (surely there’s a nature reserve because we rationalise the behaviour and focus on
somewhere that needs a squirrel) but metaphorically the brief pleasure it brought, while ignoring the pain
speaking, there are some squirrels that need to be put or believing that we can avoid it the next time around.
down. Like the townsfolk of Buckley, we see the cuteness and
forget the stitches.
We’re all prone to doing things that we know we
shouldn’t. After we’ve done them we get hurt and The forgiveness of Jesus Christ is complete and comes
angry at the painful consequences, but then some through faith in God’s grace alone, but we still need
distorted sort of nostalgia tempts us to repeat the to confess what we’ve done, ask for forgiveness and
resolve to fight the temptation to repeat it. This
doesn’t earn us forgiveness, but it does help us to
remember the stitches instead of being seduced by
the cuteness.
If you’re sick of being hurt by the same behaviour,
confess it, trust Jesus to forgive it, and ask Him to
empower you to overcome the temptation to repeat
it. Jesus didn’t just die to forgive our sins. It was also to
empower us to ‘put them down’ for good.

DPL issue 7 2022 39
DPL5 2022 25