The Possum in My Pool - by Chris Archinal

This morning I rescued a baby possum from our pool. He was holding on to a basketball struggling to stay balanced and keep his head above water. He had obviously been holding on all night. To be honest, even though a nasty little creature, it was a sad sight. I carefully took the pool net, picked him and the basketball out of the water, then crushed him with a shovel.

Just kidding! I took the sad soaked critter and carefully set him down over the back fence into the bayou from where he likely came.  With his claws (and even his teeth) he clung to that ball, fearing that he was being dumped into greater peril. When I grazed his back with the grass he reluctantly and suspiciously placed a paw on the ground. Recognizing it was safe, he let the rest of his weary body collapse into the grass.

He didn't lay there long. The kids and I watched as he slowly crawled again to my backyard, this time behind a storage shed...nice. I went to clean out the pool skimmers while the kids stayed glued to the possum's every move.  They tracked him like they were on some Animal Planet reality show.

Sadly, there in the skimmer I found the possum's brother. Bummer. He didn't make it. I could imagine the events of the previous night. One brother struggles to survive on a basketball and watches as the other brother fights for his life; finally succumbing to the depths of the water and eventually sucked into the skimmer. Oh the drama.


You know the sad/interesting thing about this story? In our pool we have what we affectionately call the "Popsicle step". It's an over sized step leading into our pool. Pool companies advertise it as a tanning step. That possum, who I was just informed by my kids is now named Midnight, was 18 inches from that step when we found him. Who knows how close his brother may have been. One little stroke of the paw and he likely would have found himself on the safety of the step.

As I sat on the back patio, finding myself lost in the story of the two brothers' struggle, I began to play out a Disney-type storyline.  Picture it with me: Two possums struggling to stay afloat on an unsteady basketball.  Finally, one brother realizes they'd both die if they both continue to stay on the ball.  The older brother sacrifices himself so the younger can live.

Cheesy, I know.  Welcome to my world. As the movie played out in my head, I began to see the spiritual significance. In fact, I'm wiping tears from my eyes as I type because of the lesson I learned. So many people, me included, find themselves struggling and fighting for their life in this cruel world. So many people trying to stay afloat. Looking for peace.  Looking for answers.  Answers that they hope will "save" them.

Are we much different than this poor little possum?  Fortunately, our salvation is only 18 inches away. That 18 inches is the distance from your head to your heart. You have heard (in your head) about the salvation Jesus offers. You have heard of His forgiveness. You have heard of His obsessive-compulsive tendencies to seek you out. You know in your head what He says is true...BUT you haven't believed it in your heart.

Maybe you haven't received this truth because you think you're not good enough. Maybe it's because you think,  "He couldn't forgive me, I mean, look at me!" So instead of trusting Him in your heart, you just hold on for dear life, trying to balance yourself in this world moments from drowning.

Friends YOU ARE ONLY 18 inches from safety. Trust Him today. Believe in Him today. Whoever you are, whatever you've become...He loves you. He loves you enough to not just leave you there. Reach out for Him.  Your salvation is closer than you think.