Suicidal Frogs and other animals...

For those of you that know me, I spend a lot of time in the car. I am often driving the children to and fro. With all the rain recently, I was struck by how many frogs decide to cross the road in the rain. I don't normally see them during the sunshine or when it is dry. I mean - did their pond overflow and they are seeking another? And why do they suddenly decide to cross a road to get to where they want to go? Can they not see giant objects barreling down the road? Do their little frog friends sit on the side of the road daring them to do it? Regardless, I have no idea how many I have hit over the years. I feel moderately guilty about it - but not much I can do. I think the same thing about squirrels. Why do squirrels choose to cross the road right before a car comes? It doesn't make sense. The squirrels even have this goofy thing they do where they squish their butt and tail as they race across the road anticipating getting hit. (I did look up the frog thing and there is apparently some thought that when it rains - they are hopping to go find a mate - I could make all kinds of cynical jokes here but I won't!)

I was thinking about how often we are running towards something. We do not always know where we are going and it is often into traffic. Why? All to find something better. The grass is greener syndrome. Sometimes there is something better but often it is the same old green grass. There is nothing wrong with striving to do better but seeking something different isn't always the best. I've watched this again and again with teens in my youth group. They start dating and then when things start to fizzle or get difficult - they either cheat or cut the cord and move onto the next best thing. I affectionately refer to this as the cornflakes scenario. You get tired of the box of cornflakes you always buy - so you go to the store and look at all the shiny boxes. You notice the new improved awesome prize included cereal and you are so excited to bring it home. Then you open the box and it is still the same box of cornflakes. Bottom line - you often get the same thing and how much pain did you go through to get the exact same thing? Part of why I bring this up is that sometimes we need to be content with where God has us at a given moment. That isn't to say we shouldn't strive for better or to be the best that we can be. It is to say that sometimes God has us move through moments of challenge and difficulty to walk through it with us. We shouldn't be hopping and running to the other side of the road to get away - but to stay in the moment and gain as much knowledge so we truly can be the best we can be. It truly is to refine us and shape us into a better person. Sometimes it comes with pain and sometimes it comes with incredible joy. Either way, we do not need to be suicidal and jump in front of a moving car to seek the best in life. God truly has our best interest at heart and it is up to us what we do with what we have in the moment that we have it.

“Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 NIV