Keen nature photographers always get excited when they “meet” a new creature. I’d never seen a live raccoon before: discovering a troop at Northumberland Zoo was a delightful surprise. (It’s not a very big zoo, but a well-run non-profit collection of animals involved with conservation.)
Back to the raccoons: complete with their burglar’s mask and keen intelligence, they can be something of a menace in their homelands. Here in a good-sized paddock, these cheerfully chubby four-legged food-converters make a fine attraction. I suppose in some senses they appeal to me as kindred spirits! Curious, chubby, and fond of good food… some might say I fit that description too.
Extremely dextrous front paws help raccoons to thrive in many environments. They can dig, hold on well, and have often been seen washing food before eating. Since they will forage in urban bins and gardens, they are sometimes called “Trash Pandas.” They live up to the burglar’s mask they wear- and being mainly nocturnal, the noise they make raiding the bins will make the whole house jump!
Why do I get excited by meeting new animals? Because I am thrilled to see all the variety in Creation. Without wanting to debate the “how” this universe came to be, I appreciate the WHY. Like an artist, God loves to display imagination, technique, and purpose: and has made a planet on which the great drama of Life is on show. In this gallery/theatre, raccoons are one lovely exhibit.
I love the way John’s Gospel begins with a bold statement about Jesus, described as the Creative Word who spoke everything into being. Read this slowly, let it sink in:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5 NRSV)
Life. Variety. Beauty. Purpose. Everything from raccoons to YOU fits into the script.
The Reflectionary 