With all the rain last night, the morning was filled with a cacophony of frogs singing like Tibetan monks. Maybe it was partially because of our new garden statue. A praying frog.
Sometimes in going about our normal daily routine, we may find ourselves at the right place, at the right time to be used as an angel to lend a helping hand.
The frogs stirred my memory of a lesson presented many years ago while living on a farm in Virginia. After dinner I went to take out the trash at the back of the cottage. When I lifted the heavy lid on the industrial-size blue container on wheels, something green caught my eye. A cute little tree frog had been trapped inside. Tiny suction fingers clung to the inner wall, almost to the top of the can, but in full view for a rescue.
Happy for divine timing and a chance to help, I found a short stick on the ground. Gently I coaxed the little fellow, "Let go and climb aboard." Unblinking eyes stared at me as he stubbornly refused to let go.
Twilight was upon us when he finally made a giant leap... in the wrong direction!
In dismay, I watched him disappear underneath the mound of black plastic bags.
Now what? I wondered, losing patience. I couldn't just shut the lid and leave him alone overnight. And, if I left the lid open, other critters may picnic in the trash.
I tried reaching my arm down to shift the bags, but the bin was too deep. I had to do something. But what? An angel thought urged, search around for a long stick. Quickly I found one, sturdy with two v-shaped twigs on the end, perfect for bag fishing.
Afraid I may crush the little fellow, I asked the angels for help. Successfully I hooked the first bag and began to slowly raise it upward. It was working...but I had doubts as to how long. As the bag rose up higher, I could see the angels had delivered. It seemed too easy, too good to be true. I stared wide-eyed at the wayward tree frog. He sat still, riding the black bag like a gentleman taking an elevator to the top. Freedom at last!
Thank you, Angels, I cheered. Tomorrow was Trash pick-up day.
Quickly I set the big bag and its rider down by the old walnut tree, in hopes of attuning him back to nature. But more was to come. Rather than joyfully springing off into the woods, his fingers stuck like glue to the trash bag. He refused to let go.
After much prodding and patience, finally he let go and leaped off into the sunset. His lesson on the merits of letting go lingered as I gratefully watched him disappear into the woods. His strange behavior made me think of how sometimes it's hard to let go of our garbage, and take a brave leap in a new direction. When we do, we can Fully Rely on God every step of the way.
Something amusing happened a month or so later, one morning Elliot called out to come take a look. A little tree frog
was at the front door, hands folded like in prayer. I hurried to see for myself. A cute little tree frog was looking inside the house, stuck on the windowpane. Playfully I asked our visitor if he was my tree frog friend who'd come calling again. A prayerful reminder to F.R.O.G. it, fully rely on
God in our going out and in our coming in.
Sometimes we may feel as if our life has been trashed, stuck in a heap with no way out. But the frog reminds us that we are never alone. We can Fully Rely on God, and his angels will lift us up and deliver us when we do.
When writing this angel blog, the old photo of the tree frog at the cottage door copied not once, but four times onto the page. A signal to fully rely on God, times four today.
Love and peace,
Rae Karen
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