Little Foxes

As spring turns to summer in our garden, there is a wonderful bursting forth of colour as flowers of different shapes and sizes start to blossom. There is also the excitement of seeing plants that I have grown from seed becoming established in our vegetable patch and giving promise of a harvest to come.

However, as well as the plants that we like to see in our garden, there are also others that are unwanted. These are weeds that seed themselves and take root, and if not dealt with quickly, they can soon take over and start to smother the good growth of our vegetables and flowers. In particular we have an old ash tree which has deposited seeds all over the garden. If these seedlings are not plucked out quickly while small, they put down deep roots and are then difficult to dig out and remove.

Earlier in the year I discovered a hole that had been dug at the end of the garden, and as I peered into it I saw some brownish fur that was moving! It was a burrow full of little baby rabbits. I thought how sweet they looked and I determined not to tell my husband in case he decided to do something about them! However, some months later those cute furry bundles have grown into hungry adult rabbits which are now nibbling away at our garden! We should have removed them when we had the opportunity.

Both these examples remind me of the ‘little’ sins and fleshly desires that often start as seemingly minor temptations. We can be drawn towards things that seem attractive and relatively harmless, but if left unchecked they can become deeply rooted and damage the godly fruit in our lives. Today’s verse in the Song of Solomon tells us that it’s ‘the little foxes that spoil the vines’.

Is there a ‘little fox’ (or a small rabbit!) that you have allowed into your life, that seemed attractive at the time and that you have been reluctant to dispose of? It may have started in a small way, but perhaps you are now finding that it is controlling you and eating away at the good fruit in your life. If so, why not resolve today that you will no longer allow it to have its way. Confess to God, repent, and ask God to help you to get rid of it.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please forgive me for not resisting temptation and for allowing this particular sin into my life. I confess this to You now and repent. Please help me to get rid of everything that is eating away at the good fruit that You want to grow in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.