It was a warm spring morning as the three men drove along the winding country road. Doug, Gerald and Bob were on their way to finish some forestry work in the woodlands of Nova Scotia. As they round a curve, Doug suddenly swerved the car to miss hitting a small, reddish-brown object lying on the road.
“What was that?” exclaimed Bob.
“I don’t know!” Doug answered as he brought the car to a screeching halt. “I think we missed it,” he said as he looked in the rearview mirror.
Jumping out, they hurried back to see what it was. There on the pavement, inching its way along, was a baby woodchuck. As Gerald picked it up, he wondered where its mother could be. Had she been struck by a car? Perhaps a fox or coyote had gotten her. Woodchucks, also called groundhogs, hardly ever stray far from their burrows, so why else would this little fellow have wandered out onto the road?
“I wonder if it has any brothers or sisters?” Gerald said, passing the furry little ball to Doug. As the men searched the shrubs beside the road, sure enough, they found a second one, but no more. Rather than taking a chance on leaving the little animals to die, the men placed the two little woodchucks in a cardboard box and continued on their way.
That evening, when the men arrived at their motel, the tiny woodchucks were making little squeaky noises, and one looked rather weak. Doug called the Provincial Wildlife Park to find out what a by wood-chuck would eat.
The park attendant, thinking Doug had said “baby wood ducks,” replied, “Oh, just feed them some chick-starter.”
Hanging up the receiver, Doug told the others what the attendant had said. “Chick-starter for woodchucks?” For some reason it didn’t sound right, but the parks people should know.
Before long they had found a chicken farmer in the village who kindly gave them some feed. But when a dish of it was placed in the box, the little fellows just sniffed at the food and waddled through it, still making their sad little noises. There must be some mistake.
In the Bible we read, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 14:1212There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Proverbs 14:12). Boys and girls, Satan (the enemy of your souls) is working hard to see that you get wrong information. He wants to stop you from coming to the Lord Jesus as a needy sinner and accepting Him by faith as your own precious Saviour. Satan would tell you not to be in a hurry, or that there are other ways to heaven. But God says, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:22(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) (2 Corinthians 6:2)), and, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:66Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)).
Just then the phone rang... it was the park attendant. Realizing his mistake, he was able to track down where the men were staying and called to say, “Baby woodchucks like milk.”
Buying a can of evaporated milk from the corner store and an eyedropper from the local hospital, the men took turns feeding the cute little rascals. It wasn’t long before their bellies began to bulge!
When the men returned home, each family took a turn keeping the baby woodchucks overnight. The children were so excited to hold and feed them. Then the little woodchucks were taken to their new home at the Provincial Wildlife Park where they would receive the best of care. Now the families enjoy visiting the park each year to see how the woodchucks have grown.
What a happy home awaits all who will receive the Lord Jesus. Won’t you tell Jesus, not later, but right now, that you want Him as your Saviour?
ML-05/14/1989