Following Our Lord's Example

The story is told of a mother squirrel who one day had taken up residence in a bat house attached to the side of a tree. When her young son climbed out and fell to the ground, the mother rescued him and brought him back up to the bat house and repeatedly tried to stuff him back into the hole.

However, her young son resisted her every attempt. It persistently clung to the sides of the hole, wriggled in protest, and flattened its body.

Finally, the mother tried one last tactic. She jumped in and out of the hole several times. Finally, the youngster followed her.

Moral of the story: As the young squirrel followed his mother’s example, let us follow our Lord’s example in our thoughts, speech, and conduct (1 John 2:6; cf. 1 Peter 2:21).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets