Small Foxes

Written by Amber Lawton

Secretly I have an affinity for cats. I can’t say that I am a total cat person. I am definitely a dog person. Yet, I can’t escape the little furry face of manipulation when a cat wants a good petting. Seriously. The creators of the animation ‘Puss in Boots’ got that face and response down to perfection. Who can resist those sad eyes? I surely can’t, and I absolutely should. As much as I have a liking to cats I also have very bad allergies to the little fur balls.

Recently I was invited to cat sit for a friend. My response was an immediate yes. No question about it, I was sure I could do the job without any reaction. Unfortunately I was wrong. In just a few short hours I found myself at the whim of this little creature. She literally mewed and sad eyed her way into my heart. What started as a light pat turned into minutes of petting. I walked away, and washed my hands. As the first sneeze hit I looked down, and saw one hair on my shirt. Just one hair! Then I noticed a cluster of hair on my pant leg where she sat next to me. After showering and changing I still had congestion, and itchy throat, and eyes. Not one for allergy medicine I sat waiting for the symptoms to subside.

If only I had stayed away from the cat. I knew the end result. On the other hand I have done an incredible job over the years of staying away from cats that I hadn’t considered how easily affected I would be. Nor did I think that one hair would set off a chain of events like this. That is until I remembered “the small foxes.”

Song of Solomon 2:15 says “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.”

This scripture is making reference to the small things that could harm the love of the bride and bridegroom. In a precautionary way the bride is being protective of her love for her groom, by asking for the foxes to be caught. Foxes are sneaky little creatures that can get into much trouble quickly.

Over the course of the last few months I have found temptation to pop up in unusual ways. These temptations were all minor judgement calls. Nothing that goes outside of the will of God, yet options that could definitely be a distraction. With each distraction a bigger adverse reaction could be around the corner. At this time of my life I have made the decision to fall wholeheartedly into relationship with the Lord. I am determined that nothing can be bigger, or stand brighter than His love for me. My vineyard is growing, and beginning to bloom. So, as I looked down, and sneezed at this one piece of hair on my shirt, I was reminded of the foxes. As funny as this sounds some of the greatest lessons are in the simplest of moments. Go there with me for a minute. Here I am, knowing I am allergic to cats, and yet I am pulled into a pit of empathy for this creature that wants attention. Then I give in for one brief second, sure that I can stop after a second, without experiencing an allergic reaction. Of course, when that time has passed I am still standing there thinking of a good time to walk away. Once a reaction hits then it’s time to move on, but by then I can’t control the negative reaction. Plus, I have the residue of what caused the reaction all over me.

Therein lies the reason the little foxes- distractions and temptations- need to be caught. If we allow our eyes to be diverted, even momentarily,  our vineyard will be ruined.