Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.” Song of Solomon 2:15
During the first invasion of Iraq under George Bush, Desert Storm was just about to start. Colonel William Post was in charge of material delivery for the entire armored ground operation. After his company had been in country for three months, aircraft and ships unloaded thousands of tons of cargo every day. The men and women under his oversight worked around the clock. They had to know not only what was there, but where it was stored. Supplies do no good if they can’t be found. With the aid of computers and bar codes, they were just barely able to keep ahead of the never ending stream of materials arriving in support of the upcoming conflict. One day he received a fax from the Pentagon saying that he had not accounted for 400 cases of grape jelly. The shipping record showed that the jelly had been off-loaded, but he never reported it in stock. He ordered a private to look into it, but the jelly could not be found anywhere. Colonel Post told the soldier to forget it. It would eventually show up. A few days later, he received another inquiry about the jelly marked, “Urgent!” He ignored it. The air war was about to begin, and the armor had to be ready. Finally, a few days later, he received a personal telephone call from a clerk in New Port, Virginia. “Colonel, I must insist that we get an accounting of that lost jelly or our accounts will not close at the end of the month.” He said he’d look into it. Again he ordered a couple of his clerks to search for the jelly. But in spite of their diligence, they jelly was still missing. The next afternoon, he received a fax marked “Extremely Urgent!” “We must have an accounting on the missing jelly today. Our books have to close tomorrow!” The colonel faxed in return. “You must decide for yourself which assignment I must attend to. I can either unleash my army of supply personnel to look for your missing jelly or I can kick Sadam out of Kuwait, but I cannot do both.” He never heard back from New Port. It’s the little foxes that spoil the vine.
The verse above occurs in a book of the Bible which is one of the least preached books in all of Scripture. The Song of Solomon records a love affair between King Solomon and the Shunamite Maiden. It reveals a romance that will make the most dignified among us blush with embarrassment. In its midst Solomon says to his love, “We must be careful to catch the little foxes that could destroy our vineyard.” Solomon cherished the relationship he had with his love, and wanted to protect it. Interestingly enough in this verse he doesn’t focus on the “big issues” that could potential threaten their love affair. Instead, he zeroes in on what he labels “little foxes.” Little foxes carelessly tearing through a vineyard when the tender shoots are in bloom could destroy the crop. Solomon was concerned that little issues left unattended could potentially rob their relationship of its joy.
Isn’t it true that it’s the nagging minutiae of life which causes many of the problems we experience in life? Just a little scratch ruins the perfect paint job on a new car. Just one off-key shrieky note can ruin an otherwise virtuoso vocal performance. All it takes is one little hole to sink a perfectly good boat. Just one little loose bolt can ruin an entire motor. Just one forgotten ingredient can ruin a perfect cake. One tiny burr stuck inside our sock makes for a very uncomfortable walk. It’s the small things – the ignored little things – the things we tend to overlook that often cause a great deal of frustration and damage.
Solomon’s advice is to catch the little foxes before they wreck havoc in your fields. Grab a hold of them. Seize them by the tail before they damage the harvest God intends to bring. Get rid of the little foxes so you can stay focused on the bigger issues in your life. The little issues in life will drag you down if you allow it to happen. So when you see a little fox causing damage – deal with it – and move on. Don’t ignore it – but also don’t get so focused on it that you loose perspective on greater priorities in your life. Sometimes the boulders aren’t the problem. Sometimes it’s the sand in our shoes. Happy fox hunting.
Live The Victorious Life,
PT
During the first invasion of Iraq under George Bush, Desert Storm was just about to start. Colonel William Post was in charge of material delivery for the entire armored ground operation. After his company had been in country for three months, aircraft and ships unloaded thousands of tons of cargo every day. The men and women under his oversight worked around the clock. They had to know not only what was there, but where it was stored. Supplies do no good if they can’t be found. With the aid of computers and bar codes, they were just barely able to keep ahead of the never ending stream of materials arriving in support of the upcoming conflict. One day he received a fax from the Pentagon saying that he had not accounted for 400 cases of grape jelly. The shipping record showed that the jelly had been off-loaded, but he never reported it in stock. He ordered a private to look into it, but the jelly could not be found anywhere. Colonel Post told the soldier to forget it. It would eventually show up. A few days later, he received another inquiry about the jelly marked, “Urgent!” He ignored it. The air war was about to begin, and the armor had to be ready. Finally, a few days later, he received a personal telephone call from a clerk in New Port, Virginia. “Colonel, I must insist that we get an accounting of that lost jelly or our accounts will not close at the end of the month.” He said he’d look into it. Again he ordered a couple of his clerks to search for the jelly. But in spite of their diligence, they jelly was still missing. The next afternoon, he received a fax marked “Extremely Urgent!” “We must have an accounting on the missing jelly today. Our books have to close tomorrow!” The colonel faxed in return. “You must decide for yourself which assignment I must attend to. I can either unleash my army of supply personnel to look for your missing jelly or I can kick Sadam out of Kuwait, but I cannot do both.” He never heard back from New Port. It’s the little foxes that spoil the vine.
The verse above occurs in a book of the Bible which is one of the least preached books in all of Scripture. The Song of Solomon records a love affair between King Solomon and the Shunamite Maiden. It reveals a romance that will make the most dignified among us blush with embarrassment. In its midst Solomon says to his love, “We must be careful to catch the little foxes that could destroy our vineyard.” Solomon cherished the relationship he had with his love, and wanted to protect it. Interestingly enough in this verse he doesn’t focus on the “big issues” that could potential threaten their love affair. Instead, he zeroes in on what he labels “little foxes.” Little foxes carelessly tearing through a vineyard when the tender shoots are in bloom could destroy the crop. Solomon was concerned that little issues left unattended could potentially rob their relationship of its joy.
Isn’t it true that it’s the nagging minutiae of life which causes many of the problems we experience in life? Just a little scratch ruins the perfect paint job on a new car. Just one off-key shrieky note can ruin an otherwise virtuoso vocal performance. All it takes is one little hole to sink a perfectly good boat. Just one little loose bolt can ruin an entire motor. Just one forgotten ingredient can ruin a perfect cake. One tiny burr stuck inside our sock makes for a very uncomfortable walk. It’s the small things – the ignored little things – the things we tend to overlook that often cause a great deal of frustration and damage.
Solomon’s advice is to catch the little foxes before they wreck havoc in your fields. Grab a hold of them. Seize them by the tail before they damage the harvest God intends to bring. Get rid of the little foxes so you can stay focused on the bigger issues in your life. The little issues in life will drag you down if you allow it to happen. So when you see a little fox causing damage – deal with it – and move on. Don’t ignore it – but also don’t get so focused on it that you loose perspective on greater priorities in your life. Sometimes the boulders aren’t the problem. Sometimes it’s the sand in our shoes. Happy fox hunting.
Live The Victorious Life,
PT
posted by Larry | 3:11 PM
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