Bang–the metal door snapped shut. I felt as guilty as an accomplice in a terrible crime.

The squirrels had become a nuisance in the yard and gardens; now that they seemed to have lost their fear of the trap, we were on a mission to relocate them to a better place.

Earlier I had baited and waited for that door to shut.
I had not anticipated the remorse I might feel as one after the other cute little rodents lost their freedom. Well . . . for a short time.

I watched the first squirrel cautiously grasp the sunflower seeds placed at the entrance to the trap. His cravings overcame any sense of suspicion of the metal cage. The determined animal soon accelerated that process— grabbing as many as he could. The plump squirrel had no idea he had unsuspectingly entered the point of entrapment–until the door banged shut. There was no way out. He panicked for a moment and then returned to satisfy his immediate desires.

Really, you can’t blame him for following the seed trail. After all, squirrels love those seeds. But curiosity and appetite led him unknowingly into the trap. As long as there were plenty of seeds within the prison walls or until the rodent was completely satisfied , the squirrel didn’t mind the locked door.

But—after feasting on all remaining morsels, the caged animal went wild. Racing, panic-stricken back and forth, he screamed, “Get me out of here; I promise, I’ll never eat another seed.”

My calming words, informing him that he would soon be free–free in a more wooded area, did nothing to placate him. He was stressed, frantic and aggressive. The longer he was trapped his behavior became totally erratic.

It was only later in the woods when I released the secure latch, allowing him to run to the nearest tree that the squirrel knew freedom and stopped his wild behavior.

While watching this live set up, I was abruptly made aware of how easily and innocently I can be trapped. There are moments when selfishness and cravings overcome any sense of reason. Time and again my curiosity and appetite entice me into moments of pleasure and temporary satisfaction.

If I listen to the Deceiver and take the bait, then I am trapped. . . there is no way out.

I panic, I cry, I promise . . .

As my desperate cry of genuine repentance and helplessness reaches the Father’s ears, he hears. Immediately He releases the trap door, and I return to freedom.

“Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. Psalm 31:4 In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free. Psalm 118:5

Frantic for freedom!