Squirrels

So, I'm lucky enough to live in the tallest house in my neighborhood, which is also on the top of the classic urban mound of fill soil they dug out to create the basement. This gives me an amazing view of the Minneapolis skyline. I've always loved the skylines of the twin cities. When I was in junior high I could look out my science classroom window and see St. Paul's 1st bank sign, and think hey Dad is working near there. In those days I would be disturbed in my day dreaming by a science teacher trying to teach me how baking soda can make a small scale film canister submarine rise and fall or how oil leaking from our cars pollutes the river systems.

Nowadays I am disturbed in my real dreams by Squirrels, which are even better than roosters, because they know when the sun is going to rise (I don't know anything about roosters). They make sure I am awake for the rising action and the climax of the morning's story. But, those graceful critters are not nearly as graceful as we think. They slam into my roof and slide around with their claws out, trying to get a grip on the roof.

It was early this morning when I noticed exactly how many squirrels live in the trees that surround my house. It was scary to look up and see their insane, sporadic, and uncontrolled behavior. Not to mention having them jump out from underneath my porch! And, finally I noticed one staring at me, as still as can be, from the very top point of my house. These oppressive and unpredictable animals actually scare me! I don't know what they are going to do, where they are going to come from, and they seem genuinely surprised to encounter me when they are on their rampage through my yard. But I do know that they are not going away.

It was on this morning that I remembered something from our history classes about sin. We don't have an ecumenical council that gives us the be all and end all last word on the subject of what sin is, where we can identify it, and how to deal with it. Why? Sin is such a wily and unpredictable thing that once we define it and get comfortable with it in its new outfit, it puts on a new disguise. So, these squirrels became the embodiment of sin. They wake me up in the morning or assail me from the dark underbelly of the porch. They scare me and they make me want to stay inside some days just to avoid them!

But then I remembered my theology class and how frustrated and animated I have been about the Holy Spirit and how we don't have a clear understanding, definition, and limit to its work defined by an ecumenical council. But, this morning I thought, "Hey that makes it just as wily as sin." The Holy Spirit cannot be predicted or controlled, it even comes into the world through us. So, this morning, these squirrels became the embodiment of the Holy Spirit... or maybe just a metaphor.

I gave them each names Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, George, Ringo... and the rest of them I simply call "the rest of the disciples." Maybe I'll get a picture of these crazies.