Busy as a Beaver . . .

With my ‘to do’ list spreading onto two full pages … I quickly typed ‘busy as a beaver’ in my facebook status and went back to work trying to make a decent dent in the tasks at hand. As I went about my day that beaver phrase seemed to be caught in my mind and I began to wonder just exactly how it came to be.
A few days later, I found myself walking down a trail at the forest preserve when I came upon a small pond that was ‘hidden’ away in the woods. I seated myself on a fallen tree and began to take in God’s glorious creation that sat before me.
As I rested there I noticed that the pond had a few beaver dams in it. This peaked my curiosity as beavers still seemed to be on my mind from the previous day! So, I sat for a while in hopes of catching a glimpse of these ‘busy’ beavers.
I sat and sat but to no avail for I never did see any beaver action that evening … the only thing that seemed to be grabbing my attention was how sore my seat was from sitting on that knobby log for so long!!
So, as the sun began to pull its evening curtains across the sky I began to move my sore seat towards home. However, these beavers were still on the brain.
Over the course of the next few weeks, I started reading up on beavers and I even got smart and packed a few books in my nap sack to study while I sat on that old knobby log and awaited to see these beautiful beavers at work. Over time I did get to see them in action and I soon forgot about how uncomfortable that log was! ;)
So, what did I find out with all of this sitting, watching and reading?
A beaver is always busy! “Busy as a Beaver” is not an empty phrase. Beavers are defiantly very diligent creatures.
I saw first hand how a beaver works tirelessly long hours at cutting down trees and gathering food for it‘s family. Even after a dam is completed and its storage is full it still works away getting ‘extra’ things done.
Its amazes me how their dams are made with masterful architecture and precise engineering. It also amazed me to read how a beaver also prepares for future generations by building extra dams for its kits.
If I made any sudden movements or dropped a book than I would experience first hand how a beaver warns its family of danger (with me being the ’danger’). The flat tail of the beaver serves not only as rudder when swimming and a balance when cutting trees, but also as a warning instrument. When any member of a beaver family recognizes danger, it upends its body and slams its tail against the water creating a huge “SMACK!!“ The impact when these two flat surfaces meet creates such a shock wave that the sound can be heard a half-mile away! The beavers then headed for safety and my ears are left ringing!
However, (more than the beaver’s ability to deafen my ears ;) was the fact of how diligent they are that stuck in my brain.
The more I thought about it the more I began to question my heart behind my work at home.
The beavers seamed to work with such fervency at there tasks and I rarely ever saw them ‘quarrel’ about their work. They just keep going, and going, and going … like energizer batteries.
I started to study diligence deeper in my devotions and it was not long before the phrase ‘busy as a beaver’ took on a whole new light to me.
After a while I began to look at each new ’to do list’ totally different. I started welcoming each task as a special assignment from the Lord and using all my energies to accomplish it.

It’s amazing how the Lord used that simple phrase as a spark, and a short walk in the woods that evening to inspire me to look deeper and later lead me to being more diligent with my walk with Him, my walk with my family, as well as grasping a firmer and more loving look at my beloved two page ‘to do’ list ;)