This is a busy (and nutty) time of year for squirrels.

The little critters are hard at work storing up nuts and seeds for the hard winter ahead.

Depending on the species, they may either store their nuts in one spot (a stash), or hide them by burying them in multiple locations (known as “scatter-hoarding”). They’ve even been known to shamelessly steal nuts from the stashes of other squirrels.

The jury is out on whether squirrels actually remember where they’ve hidden all those nuts. Some studies suggest they can recall the location of thousands of buried nuts. Other research implies that squirrels fail to recover a good number of their treasures, which allows the nuts and acorns to grow into trees.

One thing is for certain: these little guys are single-minded about gathering up nuts before winter, often using unconventional places to store them.

Like cars.

Just ask Bill Fischer of Fargo, North Dakota. For the past eight years, a red squirrel has been using Bill’s pickup truck to store walnuts. Each year, the poor man has to remove thousands of walnuts from every crevice of his truck, including the engine compartment and bumpers.

This month, the critter set a new record, stashing 348 pounds of nuts in Bill’s vehicle. And this was all the work of one tiny squirrel.

These crafty little animals might exasperate us, but we can learn something from them:

They make sure they’ve “squirrelled away” provision for hard times to come.

I think we should do something similar:

Store up the Word of God in your heart, because you never know when you might need a certain verse to sustain you in a tough situation.

When you go through a winter season of your life, you need a ready supply of encouraging words and promises from the Bible.

If you’re discouraged, it’s comforting to be able to recall Psalm 23 by heart.

If you feel defeated and beset by challenges, it’s wonderful to remind yourself of the promises and truths contained in Romans 8:31-39.

If your faith needs a booster shot, it’s so good to know that you can turn to Hebrews 11 for examples of others who’ve walked the faith journey.

Or if you need guidance from God, it’s reassuring when your mind immediately brings up Proverbs 3:5-6.

When you’re in the midst of a difficult period, however, that is not the best time to frantically search for unfamiliar scriptures that apply to your situation.

You need to have Bible verses stored in your heart and memory ahead of time so they come to you readily and automatically when you need them.

So in times of abundance and ease, keep reading the Scriptures and commit your favourite verses to memory. Use online resources like the Bible App, Bible Hub or BibleGateway, if you wish. A hard copy of the Bible works equally well.

Whatever means you use, store up God’s Word and His promises in your heart so that you have a storehouse of powerful truths and helpful verses that will carry you through the winter seasons of your life.

Squirrels are smart enough to stockpile what they need for hard times, so why don’t we?

I guess squirrels aren’t so nutty after all!

“My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you.”

Proverbs 7:1

© 2021 Lori J. Cartmell. All rights reserved.