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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: BUSY (08/15/19)
Recently I boarded the St. Helena III canal boat in Canal Fulton, Ohio. I sat on the edge of my seat as the boat inched its way along the old canal. After urging us to look for turtles and fish, and perhaps a water snake, the Historian informed us that we were approaching a beaver lodge to the left of the boat. The beavers had attempted to build their lodge across the width of the canal, but it had been moved closer to the bank so the boat could get through. With wide eyes, I focused on the canal bank, then exclaimed, “Wow! What busy beavers!”

Later I poured over a number of websites for more information about beavers. I learned that though they are rather awkward animals on land, they are quite graceful in water. They are said to be second only to humans in their ability to alter a landscape. Using their strong front teeth they cut down trees and foliage along streams to build large lodges. The lodge creates a dam, and turns a small stream into a pond.

Beavers not only work together to take care of each other, their endeavors help other wildlife survive as well. One of the beneficiaries of the beavers’ industriousness is the Chinook salmon of the Northwest Pacific. The pools created by damming the water not only attract more insect larvae which feed the fish, but also create a refuge from predators for the salmon. Beaver pools are too shallow for large predators and too deep for big birds such as the blue heron. When the salmon are ready to move on, the deeper water makes it easier to leap over the dam.

As I thought about the busy beavers my thoughts were drawn to some places in Scripture where we are admonished to look at nature—the ants, the locusts, the sparrow. They don’t spend a lot of time worrying or being idle. They just keep busy building, storing food, and caring for their young.

I thought of Titus 2:5 (NIV) where Paul admonishes young women “to be busy at home, and to be kind”. (He has special instructions for the men as well.) Perhaps we humans could take a lesson from the animal world, and from Scripture. Not only be busy minding our own business, caring for our own homes and families, but also, like the busy beaver, help others in the process.

NIV
Beaver | National Geographic
nationalgeographic.com
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Corinne Smelker 
08/22/19
I learnt something new about beavers today. I love them, they are fascinating.

One thing - it is it pored, not poured, in your sentence regarding the website. We 'pore' over pages, books, manuscripts, etc. We 'pour' liquid.
Marlene Custer 
08/23/19
Thanks Corrine. I was going to check that out and then forgot.
Marlene Custer 
08/23/19
Oops! Corinne.
Barbara Culler 
08/23/19
Very interesting information on beavers. I bet they were fun to see!
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
08/30/19
This is a great devotion and exactly what I needed today. You did a wonderful job of creating a powerful picture before moving to a strong message. If you get the word count down, add a prayer and thought for the day, I think you should enter it in a devotion magazine like The Upper Room. It really struck me as powerful. It also would be great for FW devotions.