Monday, April 18, 2016
Stick By Stick
The picture was bleak.
He was in genuine fear for his life. He
and his ambitious brother were in serious trouble. As they scrambled through the underbrush, he
could hear the dogs and the shouts of authorities who were closing in on them. With pounding heart and no small amount of
bewilderment they leapt into the ice cold water and disappeared from view. This was the second time in three days the brothers
had narrowly evaded capture.
Some might wonder why
all the commotion. After all, it's not
like these trouble makers were imposing or sophisticated criminals. They probably only weighed 70 pounds, soaking wet.
Both of them were short and pudgy.
In fact, many of their neighbors considered them adorable, in spite of their oily hair and buck
teeth. Their recent escapades were the
subject of community meetings and articles in the local paper. A sizable number of community leaders
defended their antics as "typical", but there was no doubt, they were
directly responsible for thousands of dollars worth of damage. In fact one government publication estimated
that these two were part of a large family who caused millions of dollars worth
of property damage every single year.
This past week these two
brothers had engineered a project and worked under cover of night to divert the
local creek , thereby flooding 85 acres of prime property near the town
hall. Buildings were flooded, roads were
submerged and the residents were up in arms.
According to the local paper, the brothers were both known by the same name: Castor Canadensis. The reader probably would recognize them
better by their informal name: beaver.
How could two rodents
flood such a large area? How could they and their extended family members cause
timber loss, road damage and property damage to the tune of $100 million in the
U.S.? (www.aphis.usda.gov) They had no
machines, no cement, no steel, and no screws or nails. Their project is
constructed using biodegradable, non-waterproof materials. Without schooling or high tech assistance beavers
have effectively engineered dams that have been known to reach nearly half a
mile in length.
While mankind can
sometimes consider them trouble makers, nature's corps of engineers have been dramatically
impacting ecosystems without the aid of blueprints and master plans. They just do what beavers do; they gnaw through
trees, gather twigs and carefully and tirelessly stack and intertwine them
until their house is built to their satisfaction. Then life happens and they find themselves
repairing and rebuilding as needed. They are just being themselves and living
their lives, but, in doing so, their efforts are far reaching and life changing
for many around them.
Maybe we could learn a
lesson from our furry friends. The Bible
recommends that we humans take a similar approach to life. It says it this way: "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy
might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in
the grave, whither thou goest." (Ecclesiastes 9:10a KJV) Life may seem overwhelming and changing the
world may seem impossible, but what if we just all did the little bit we can do
with all our might. Rome wasn't built in
a day; neither will we be likely to change our world with magnanimous
feats. But we can be faithful and
passionate about whatever it is we can offer.
Stick by stick, my citizens.
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