Thirst

August 15, 2022

“God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.”

 ~ Matthew 5:6 NLT

I was done with the squirrel, but the squirrel wasn’t done with my hummingbird feeders. Wouldn’t you know it, but two days after writing about the rascally squirrel, I had not one, but two uninvited mammals taking advantage of my unintentional hospitality. Early in the morning, I spotted an opossum boldly slurping water from the base of one of the flowerpots on my deck. She looked a bit unwell, but then again, what opossum really looks well with their rat-like tails and scruffy coats? After banging on the sliding glass door to get her attention, she limped away from the flowerpot. I grabbed a broom for self-protection, went out on the porch and bravely (not really; when the AC kicked on unexpectedly, I shrieked) shooed her off the deck.

A few minutes later, I noticed the Simone Bales of squirrels stretched between the pole and the last hummingbird feeder still bravely swinging from its hook. Both opossum and squirrel were drinking as if they were dying of thirst, despite all the rain we’ve had.

Apparently, there is at least one lesson I need to learn from my furry friends. I have never been so thirsty that I’d lap stagnant water from the bottom of a flowerpot. Nor would I risk life and limb to risk bodily injury for a sip of sugar water. I think that is exactly the kind of hunger and thirst that Jesus talks about in the Sermon on the Mount. God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.

As a person of privilege, I’ve never gone hungry, or been seriously dehydrated. Most often, justice comes simply and without thinking to me. How different that is from the experience of so many. It might be for you as well.

May God give me the hunger and thirst for justice for those who need it most. Give me the audacity of the opossum and the boldness of the squirrel. ~ Anne