--by Lois Lang

Song of Songs 2:15...Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, while our vineyards are in blossom.  [spoken by the Bride]

Doesn’t take much, does it?  The Bride could have said to catch the foxes and left it at that.  But she said, “Catch the little foxes that are ruining the vineyards.”  I can relate to her concern.  Being an avid gardener, I’ve encountered any number of little things that could (and sometimes did) cause great damage.  There were birds that stripped twelve full blueberry bushes of every single berry even though the bushes were covered with netting; a chipmunk ate most of the strawberries one spring, dragging them one by one back to his hole by the phone pole; a single squash borer munched his way into a zucchini plant, killing it overnight.  There were also the groundhogs, and the deer, and the stink bugs (they love raspberries), and even a small black bear.

What do I learn from this?  That I should be vigilant, watching for anything potentially destructive in my life, and removing it.  It doesn’t take much--an unkind word, or a lack of prayer, or being too busy to help a friend, or making a too-hasty judgment.  No, it doesn’t take much to “ruin our vineyard.”

So grab your pruning shears, your protective nets, your hoes and rakes, and let’s protect the vineyard!

Father, the Bride was so right.  Please help us to watch and be ready and willing to remove any little thing that might separate us from You.  We love You, and we want nothing to stand between us and Your love.  We pray in the Name of Jesus, our Sanctification.  Amen.