5/8/2023 0 Comments Raccoon river bible camp![]() ![]() “It could be anywhere!” I moaned to the Lord as I sat in my devotional time with nothing else to do but pray. I knew instantly and without question that those pilfering, nocturnal, burglarizing raccoons, had stolen my bible! I had just seen it here the night before, but now it was gone. As I rifled around in my gear, though, I could not find my bible and journal bag anywhere. Having earlier brought my belongings back to my tarp site, I thought I had everything in one place. I promptly went to rummage for my devotional supplies-my sitting mat, my journal and pen, a hot sierra mug of coffee, and my bible. After breakfast, the group decided we should all do some individual devotion time since we were beside a beautiful river and the sunrise was glorious. I slept well the rest of the night, awoke refreshed and eager for the hot coffee already brewing over the fire. One of those items left behind was my bag containing my journal, my pen, and my bible. I had everything right here-everything that is, except a few sundry items left behind with the certainty that no raccoon would have interest in. I lay solemnly gazing at the night sky and slowly dozed off to sleep, enjoying the peace with my belongings securely nested around me. I calculated that the menacing creatures would have to be very plucky indeed to venture so far from their wooded fortress to find me here and steal my goods. I went down to the riverside to sleep under the stars amid the security of openness, offered by the gaping gravel bar. I made up my mind to leave as I begrudgingly packed up my belongings and vacated to a more secluded area. I turned to see not only one portly, vehement creature, but a host of at least three! It was apparent God’s angels had other business elsewhere this night. I pictured the angelic warrior drawing his sword against my furry foe and chasing him well away into the hinterlands of the wild. How was I going to get any sleep with this wooly vagabond stalking us? I prayed and asked the Lord to send one of His mighty cherubim to stand guard over my resting place. ![]() Of course, it missed the mark entirely and was so small that even if it had landed, it would have only served to remind the raccoon that I was not yet asleep. I threw a small pebble as hard as I could from my awkward, prone position. No, he had calculated to wait just out of arm’s length, waiting for sleep to come to his victim and lull away my vigilance with the aging night and open the gateway to my treasures. There he was…fat, fuzzy, and full of cunning arrogance, knowing full well that I wouldn’t risk chasing him around the forest in my boxer shorts like a crazed lunatic. ![]() With a surge of adrenaline, I spun around and wildly aimed my light toward the sound. However, within minutes, I could hear him stealthily approaching as the gravel shifted under his tiptoeing paws. ![]() I lay there, hoping the coon would not return and secretly wishing he would go bother someone else. “We’ve got coon problems,” I said, still a little ashamed at my craven, raucous outburst. My heart was pounding as group members called from under their nearby tarps, asking if I was okay. My wild, half-asleep thrashing missed him by a mile, and he scampered away to the safety of the nearby forest. He was furry, wore a mask, and had thievery on his mind. Startled, I sprang up unable to hold in my guttural, school-girl yelp as I swatted at the dark creature next to me. I had dozed off a little when I became aware of a scratching sound near my head. Having camped there many times before with no wildlife problems, I was surprised when, after dinner and group debriefing time, I nestled down for a night’s rest and heard the forest come alive with activity. Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy, and I think the raccoons work for him! On a recent challenge expedition, we made camp on a pristine gravel bar along the Current River. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |