Get Rid of the Moles!
by Jilly Lyon-Taylor
The normally beautiful green lawns around the property at Pierrepont have recently been pockmarked by lots of small brown mounds of earth – the work of some very energetic burrowing moles! What began with just one or two small molehills has now developed and spread, becoming a major nuisance, and the moles seem to be very clever at evading capture.
I have to confess to being a bit sentimental about moles. They are beautiful little creatures, and as a child I had a number of story books which included them. I remember hearing the mole referred to in one as ‘the little velvety-coated gentleman’, which sounded particularly endearing! So, in some ways I have secretly been pleased that our Pierrepont moles have evaded capture. However, if left to continue in their ways, they will spoil more and more of the grounds and become more and more of a nuisance.
On a recent prayer day for the team at the beginning of the new year, our attention was drawn to these molehills. Through them, God was challenging us as individuals about sinful things that we may have allowed into our lives, such as ungodly attitudes or behaviour, false comfort or things that we have allowed to become idols. They may have appeared innocuous at first (like a sweet furry little mole), but as they have taken hold and spread, they could be hampering us in our walk with the Lord and spoiling the beauty of His presence within us.
Today’s verse speaks of the little foxes that are spoiling the full blooming of the vineyards. The message is the same. Are there any moles (or little foxes) causing havoc in your life – things which may have seemed harmless in the beginning, but which have now turned into idols or behaviours which are difficult to lay down? If so, why not repent and surrender them to God, asking for His help to resist the temptations in the future? Let’s get rid of the moles!
Prayer: Lord, I recognise that I have allowed … to become an idol in my life, and that I have looked for comfort in the wrong place. I know that this has grieved You. I repent of this now, and ask You to help me to resist all temptation to allow this back into my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Jilly Lyon-Taylor is part of the Leadership Team at Ellel Pierrepont. She worked in publishing and then with children in Hong Kong before concentrating on being a full-time mother and serving in the local church. Her desire to see people healed led her to the Luke Nine Eleven Training Scheme(NETS) at Pierrepont, and now she teaches and ministers there.
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