Gossip can slip from our mouths like a sly little fox...

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Gossip can slip from our mouths like a sly little fox...


Catch for us the little foxes, the little foxes, that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. ---Song of Songs 2:13 (NIV)

Early one Sunday morning, I got out of bed and made my usual journey down the hallway to the kitchen. The sunlight beaming through the kitchen window caused me to walk over and take a peak at the beauty of the bright morning sun.

I peered out the window above the sink, and gazed out to the far edge of the backyard, where I caught a glimpse of two beautiful red foxes. Each one stood on opposite sides of the swing-set; in their fixed positions they gave the appearance of a life-size set of bookends.

"Come here, quickly!" I summoned my husband to take a look at the foxes before they disappeared from sight.

Both of us stood in amazement as we stared at this unusual sight in our backyard that etched itself into our memories.

A few days later during my Bible reading, I came to a passage of Scripture that was unfamiliar to me: "Catch for us the little foxes." Instantly, I thought about the two little foxes I had seen only a few days before. I was certain, however, those were not the foxes the Lord was cautioning me to catch.

God wants us to see the things in our daily lives that ruin our relationship with Him. Things like the constant complaining and cutting remarks we make about others. They slip off of our tongue like a sly little fox. Although they appear harmless, they rip the other person to the depths of their soul, and drain us of the positive energy we need to stay happy. When the destructive force of gossip sneaks its way into our conversations at home, work, or church, it destroys our reputation with one another, and the good work God wants to do.

We are cautioned each day to be alert and catch the many little foxes that can cause damage and destruction in our lives. A new way of living helps us to blossom and flourish into the person God wants us to be.
2004 Annettee Budzban