Little Foxes

Yesterday in my Bible reading it was time for the Song of Songs (also sometimes referred to as Song of Solomon).  Let me start with a confession.  This is not one of my favorite books of the Bible.  But because it's part of the Bible, I'm sure it's there for a reason.  And so I read it.  The verse that jumped out at me (and came back to me at 3am.....more about that to come) was in chapter 2......"Catch the foxes for us - the little foxes that ruin the vineyards."

Now we don't have a vineyard here on this mountain.  And there may or may not be foxes out in the woods.....I don't know.  There are numerous other "critters" around here.  Chipmunks.  Squirrels.  Coyotes.  Deer.  Possums.  Bears.  And raccoons.  Ugh.....raccoons are the bane of my existence!

Because of those pesky raccoons, every night we must bring in our birdfeeders.  Otherwise, the raccoons come to visit and make an absolute mess!  I've lost count of how many feeders those creatures have destroyed or how much bird seed they have eaten.  So......every night, the feeders must come in.  Sometimes we forget.  Like last night.  And then.....you guessed it.....raccoons came to visit.  At 3am I heard them on the porch.  Fortunately, I woke and got out to the porch before they had done any damage.  The largest feeder was swinging back and forth when I got there......a sure sign that I had scared those pesky varmints away before they were able to have a feast of sunflower seeds!!

And so, at 3am as I went back to bed, I remembered this verse!  A verse about little foxes that ruin the vineyard.  I think the lesson for us here is much more than foxes and vineyards.  Or raccoons and birdfeeders.  I believe the lesson is about dealing with the "little things" before they become "big things".  Little things......a little word spoken thoughtlessly, a miscommunication or misunderstanding......can have big consequences.  In personal relationships.  In marriages.  In families.  In friendships.  In churches.  So I think the lesson for all of us here is to deal with the little things before they become "big things".

"Catch the foxes for us - the little foxes that ruin the vineyards - for our vineyards are in bloom."  (Song of Songs 2:15 HCSB)