Damage Control

Near our house is a huge oak tree and of course with it comes all those acorns. And with those come squirrels. Many, many squirrels. Now our neighbors have a very positive perspective on these furry little creatures, so they encourage them to stick around by feeding them (as if the acorns aren’t enough !).  We enjoy seeing God’s creatures too but prefer them to stay in the great outdoors, not in our home – which is what they try to do each fall as they prepare for the winter. So I have taken to extreme measures to ward them off and I elicited the help of my son-in-law to this end.

He works with material that is very very hard, much of it used for military purposes so he has given me some scrap pieces to overlay in places near our roof where they have tried to enter and it works !   I have always wondered what the teeth now look like of the squirrel who did succeed chewing through some metal near our roof – talk about major dental bills !   Anyway, having installed these pieces of material, the squirrels cannot get in to our attic.  What about the “squirrels”  of the world, flesh and devil that seek to penetrate the recesses of your heart?   Or as Solomon puts it, the “little foxes”  (Song of Solomon 2:15).

This part of Solomon’s romance book is a flashback to his courtship days with the Shulamith, his wife and, for the unmarried gives some wonderful courtship principles but for all some timely advice in life no matter what our marital status.   Their budding relationship then was likened to a grapevine with tender grapes that have appeared. The original language says “Let us catch the little foxes”.   Critters can be damaging and here the foxes would do so to the fruit so the comparison is care must be taken to deal earnestly with anything which would hinder our relationships.  And the primary and most important one is our relationship to the Lord !   We mustn’t allow a critical spirit to stay in us, nor bitterness.  Selfishness must be covered with the selflessness of Christ.  False assumptions and suspicions with thinking the best of others until proven otherwise as Paul spoke of in the love chapter (love “believes all things” 1 Cor.13:7 – not gullibility but genuine love).  Maybe it’s a hobby consuming so much time that God is secondary.  Apathy, so often what can happens to the battle weary believer, must be covered by the proven trait of a zeal for God, which is produced by our growing love for the Lord and His Word !!  Or finally, maybe it’s the “critter” of just getting so entrenched in life by working, paying the bills, even serving in your church that we never take time to stop and recharge the batteries.  Cover your week with some good R&R (the Sabbath principle is in the Bible for a reason !). Go on a date, take a little time to “veg”, read a good book, watch a good movie, spend some time with family or a friend.

Make sure your life is sealed with the Lord and the precious principles of His Word and the varmints of this old life will not be able to infiltrate and do their damage.  What a blessing to know the Lord and have His Word !!