“What is that?!?” This was exclaimed from a couple of lady bus drivers early one morning in the bus barn parking lot. It was voiced from myself as well as I had just gotten out of my truck when this thing appeared. Thankfully, I was walking in with an older man who has done a lot of hunting, fishing, and trapping in his life. He said that this was a muskrat. In 57 years, I have never seen one until today (4/24/24). This was a rare treat! We don’t know where it came from or where it went. We just watched it change direction as drivers honked their horns at it because we thought it was going to try to board a bus. Presumably, it disappeared down a storm drain.
The muskrat isn’t the only critter that causes confusion for some folks. There are a number of animals that get mistaken, even when they are native to your area. For instance, can you tell the difference between a moth and a butterfly? We often will think that the butterfly is colorful, and the moth is drab. That’s not always the case, though. Just as there are colorful moths, there are drab butterflies. So how do you tell the difference? “One of the best methods is to look at the antennae (those long appendages that stick out from the head). With some exceptions, butterflies have a thickened part at the end of the antennae. Moth antennae, on the other hand, are usually slender or feathery and taper to a point.”1
Another commonly confused animal is the dolphin and porpoise. For those old enough to remember Flipper, was Flipper a dolphin or porpoise? Are you sure? How can you tell? “In general, porpoises and dolphins have different body shapes. Porpoises tend to have rounded faces, chunky bodies, and triangular dorsal (back) fins. Many dolphins, on the other hand, have pointy faces, slender bodies, and curved dorsal fins. But there are exceptions—Risso’s dolphins, for example, have blunt heads.”2
What about the jaguar and the leopard? If seen in the wild, the answer is easy. If you are in Africa or Asia, it’s a leopard. If you are in South or Central America or in some southwestern United States, it’s a jaguar. When we see them, it will probably be in a
zoo so all you have to do is read the plaque. Looking carefully at the two animals, you can distinguish the difference. Both have spots but the jaguar has a smaller spot within the larger spot. Also, the jaguar is a beefier animal with a shorter tail. Don’t let the size fool you, though. Their top speed is 50 mph versus the top speed of a leopard, 35 mph.
Don’t worry. You aren’t outrunning either one!
While these critters might cause us some confusion, they were no problem for Noah. Genesis 6:17-7:2 tells the story. “And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. (18) But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. (19) And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female… (22) Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. (7:1) And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. (2) Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.”
How in the world did Noah gather all those animals and not miss any? How did he keep from mistaking any of the animals? Genesis 6:20 tells us, “Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, 
two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.” The animals came to Noah. They were divinely subdued and summoned. All Noah had to do was get the floating zoo ready according to God’s specifications and get out of the way as they walked up the ramp.
If God can handle all these minute details and sort out all the animals, don’t you think God can sort out the confusing things in your life and provide you with the clarity and understanding you need? James tells us that “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5)
Don’t stay confused. Ask God to give you the needed wisdom and He will.
And, if you are wondering, Flipper was a bottle-nosed dolphin.
1https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/85118/how-tell-difference-between-7-pairs-commonly-confused-animals
2Ibid.
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