The fearless squirrel scampered across the yard without a care in the world. As the gray furry animal pranced over to the bird feeder, Carl lay in a stupor on the couch. It was clear that he was in a deep state of sleep. 
This is when I had to confront the sleeping dog that loved the opportunity to chase any squirrel that dared to graze in the back yard. With one eye open and the other closed, he didn’t seem interested in what I had to say.
But when I said the word “squirrel”, Carl jumped up and headed for the door where he spotted the furry figure munching on the bird seed that had been pushed out of the feeder.
It was now clear that Carl had his sights on his prey but by the time he was able to signal the doggy door to open and slip through the small space, the squirrel had climbed the fence and made his way into the brush.
Carl had missed the furry rat with a tail by seconds. And this wasn’t the first time either. Never in all of Carl’s attempts had he actually caught an animal. He had missed every one of them.
How often do we miss the most important things in life? We could be sleeping like Carl, or just too preoccupied with less important issues that consume our day. It could also be that we just don’t understand what the important things in life are.
Have you often wondered why Jesus spoke in parables and didn’t speak clearly about the kingdom of God? Why didn’t the people of his time understand who He really was? And even today, most people don’t comprehend the magnitude of who this man is.
Jesus explained to his disciples why He spoke in parables. Matthew 13:11 states, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.”
These men were not highly educated. Most of them worked with their hands and struggled to keep food on the table. So why were they able to understand the parables that Jesus spoke but the high priests and the Roman officials could not?
Because God chooses the ordinary, which I am one. An ordinary woman that was the youngest of five in a household where the men were honored and the girls shunned. I lived an ordinary life as a special educator for over three decades that was never recognized for my talents.
Ordinary but through the grace of God, extraordinary. I have been chosen to understand the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. How about you? Do you struggle with being ordinary? If so, then you are a great candidate for God to use.
As for Carl, he could be perceived as ordinary by some. But in my eyes he is far from an average dog. Even though he can’t catch a squirrel, he has been able to catch the attention of some readers that will hopefully have their eyes opened to the secrets of the kingdom of heaven.
