“REED” This
Stand Still
The other night after supper, I needed to do some work on a project down in my wood shop. So, I headed down and began working on making a little deeper cut into some boards. I left the door open so the dust could get out and help me breathe a little better as well as give me a little more space as the long boards I was working on needed to extend a little further off the table saw. The cutting went smoothly, and I began sanding. By the time I had finished sanding, it was almost dark. I decided to go ahead and begin staining some of the other boards with the project. I had been staining for at least thirty minutes and as I was nearing the last one to work on, I saw something moving over to my left. I quickly looked to see what I thought was the rear end of a very big rat climbing up some wood just outside the door. But, as it came up to the ridge along the top of the lattice wall, I realized it was just a small possum. It was about a foot in length, not counting the tail. It proceeded to get comfortable lying in that nook and then turned its head to look at me. Being neighborly I began talking to it, “So, you’re the one that makes those scratching noises underneath our bathroom.” It didn’t respond, of course, but just kept looking at me. I tried to scare it off by making loud noises, imitating a cat or a dog, and even stomping my foot. It simply remained motionless. I finished with the last board I was working on and closed up the can of stain. Now, the possum was just outside the door and only about four to five feet from my head once I stepped out of the shop. I didn’t know what it might do when I went out. I certainly didn’t want it to jump or fall down on me, so I decided to try to scare it away by throwing things at it. I picked up some small wood scraps that were lying around and began. The ceiling is a little low and the angle was tough, but I was able to get close to it. I even hit it four or five times, but it still wouldn’t move. I decided to leave it be. I turned my phone light on and told it to just stay put while I came out. Thankfully, it just kept looking at me as I locked up and walked away.
I enjoy seeing wildlife. Possums aren’t necessarily too pretty to look at, but they are interesting. They aren’t dangerous, but just like any wild animal, they could bite you if you get too close. They are one of God’s beautiful creatures and in some way serve a purpose for His glory. One thing they are known for is when they get really scared, they act like they’re dead as a defense mechanism. This is where we get the phrase “playing possum”. The one I encountered never played dead, it just didn’t move. Even when it got hit with the small pieces of wood, it stood still.
That made me think about a verse in scripture. When the Israelites were facing the Red Sea and Pharoah’s army was coming behind them, they were full of fear and cried out to Moses thinking they would die. Exodus 14:13-14 says, “But Moses told the people, ‘Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.’” We get worked up about a lot of things in life. We become fearful and worry about what might happen or how things might work. As Christians, we need to stand still and stand firm in our faith. No matter what is going on around us, we are still God’s children, and He will fight for us and see us through. Even when things are being thrown at us right and left and Satan is hurling fiery arrows at us (Eph. 6:16) intending on hurting us, God is with us and fighting for us. We don’t need to be afraid. We don’t need to worry. We need to stand still in the Lord and remain calm. God will take care of us and take care of all the turmoil around us.
Bro. Paul Reed
Tuesday, May 31, 2022