I rounded the corner of the narrow road leading back to the lake cabin; my walk had been rather uneventful, the hill quiet after the weekend of boaters. As I approached the back side of the bend, there he was, standing in the middle of the road- a fox! He stared at me and I stared at him; then I high-tailed it back up the road in the opposite direction as fast as I could. The goose bumps covering my legs were numerous; my body shook from the activity of each one fighting to find a place to land. My heart was beating hard and my chest was tight; I was gripped with fear, as well as the uncertainty as to whether or not he was behind me. Once I felt that I was out of his sight, I turned to see if he was there; fortunately he wasn’t. I gathered myself and waited till my heart slowed and the goose bumps subsided; then I bent over to pick up two of the largest rocks I could find along the roadside. With my hands full, I headed back down the road toward my enemy, who stood between me and home.
Mark just laughed when I told him what had happened and why I was so late getting back. He told me that the fox was much more afraid of me than I was of him; I wasn’t sure about that! The following day, there he was. I repeated my exit plan of the previous day and waited around the bend. I then decided not to wait as long as the day before; instead I gathered several rocks to throw ahead of me in order to keep the fox away as I approached the main drive to the cabin.
I got tickled as I remembered the scene from the movie Parent Trap, and the storyline of the young twin sisters who were set on running off their dad’s girlfriend, in order to get their parents back together, after years of being divorced. Their idea was to invite the girlfriend to go camping with them and their dad in order to what they called “sabotage” her. While hiking to their camp site, they convinced his girlfriend, who was anything but a “woodsy” girl, to tap two sticks together to keep the black bears away. So after dark, she gets up from her tent to head to the outdoor facility, and as she is walking, she is tapping two sticks together out in front of her. Their dad, who was seated at the fire, sees her and asked what she is doing. He knows what the girls are up to and is quite tickled that the young woman has fallen for their tricks. I felt as silly as she must have felt throwing my rocks out ahead of me in order to keep the fox away. It worked; the little fox ran for the woods. Mark was right; he was apparently more afraid of me.
I was thinking about that little fox, how fearful I was of him, and how he stood between me and my getting home joyfully. I wondered about the “foxes” in my own life, things that hinder me from having peace in my life, and keep me from getting joyfully home; foxes such as worry, fear, and a refusal to trust God with every aspect of my life. Each of these “foxes,” robs me of my peace, and stands between me and my joyful arrival to my heavenly home.
Just as God created those rocks along the roadway for me to use as a protective measure against the little fox, He has given us rocks to use against the “foxes” in our own lives- Jesus Christ and the Word of God. These are the rocks that God has freely and graciously given us to use against the “foxes” that threaten our peace and our joyful arrival home. Through Christ we have victory over fear, worry, disbelief, lack of trust, as well as many other “foxes” that threaten us along this journey of life. He has given us His word as a sword with which to slay any “fox” that threatens us. We have all we need to ensure our peace and our joyful arrival home.
Father, thank you, that You desire to protect me and deliver me from the enemy. Thank you for giving me your Son, who is a rock on which I can stand. Thank you for giving me Your word, which is a sword against the enemy of my soul. I often allow the “foxes” in my life to rob me of the peace that You so graciously desire for me to have. Father, make the “foxes” in my life as visually clear as that little fox was in the road that day and help me to stand upon my Rock that I may arrive home joyfully.
“Blessed be the Lord, my Rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle; my lovingkindness, and my fortress, my stronghold, and my deliverer, my shield and He in whom I take refuge” (Psalm 144:1-2a).
“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my savior, you save me from violence. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies” 2 Samuel 22:2-4).
“The little foxes spoil the vine” (Song of Solomon 2:15).
dianne