The other night as I was fixing dinner, the bunny was just out the kitchen window in the side yard enjoying its dinner too. Hubby had just walked in the door from work, when I suddenly noticed a little chipmunk outside going absolutely berserk! It aggressively charged directly at the bunny! Then it turned and dashed back into the bushes!
What?!?
The startled bunny bolted a few paces, then sat there stunned … wondering what had just happened.
But the bunny didn’t have a chance to sit there long. For here came the little chipmunk again! Stretched out at full length, the chipmunk charged full speed directly for the bunny! The bunny took off! … with the little chipmunk after it! … nipping the bunny on the backside!
The bunny, with the little chipmunk on its tail, raced full speed out of sight to the left. Then here came the bunny at full speed again, dashing to the right … and into the bushes!
What?!?
I have never ever seen a little chipmunk be so aggressive towards a bunny before. What’s up with that?!? In fact, the bunny and the little chipmunk are often out there in the yard together. As the bunny munches the clover blooms, the little chipmunk scampers nearby in the bushes. They have only ever been peaceful towards each other.
What just happened?!?
As I was pondering these things … at that very moment, here came a coyote trotting past!
Evil … devious-looking … up-to-no-good. The coyote could clearly smell the bunny and the chipmunk, for it was in no hurry as it meandered across the side yard.
This was only moments after the bizarre chipmunk-charging-at-the-bunny incident.
Hubby had been in the middle of telling me something … but I immediately lost all concentration and no longer heard anything he said. I was distressed. Does this mean no more bunnies??
I was distressed the rest of the evening.
The next morning, as I was pondering these things, it suddenly occurred to me the significance of what had happened.
The bunny wasn’t really all that smart … and, much to my surprise, it wasn’t particularly fast either. The chipmunk, on the other hand, is very clever. The chipmunk is smart … and fast! The chipmunk was smart enough to know that the coyote was close by. And the chipmunk was warning the bunny!
The chipmunk charged at the bunny, twice, even nipping at its backside in order to get the bunny to move to safety! The chipmunk saved the bunny’s life!
I write about this every year … and I’ll say it again this year:
* “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a [sneaky, devious coyote] looking for someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)
* “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a [sneaky, devious coyote] looking for someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)
The Bible compares us to sheep. Sheep aren’t very smart … just like the bunny wasn’t really all that smart. Sheep aren’t fast either … just like the bunny wasn’t particularly fast.
The little chipmunk was alert and aware that danger was nearby!
And the little chipmunk warned the bunny: “Watch out! You are in danger!”
The bunny didn’t like the chipmunk charging at it. The bunny probably felt very “attacked” … after all, that wasn’t a very friendly thing to do at all.
In the same way, as we go throughout our life, we sometimes wind up in a place which is not good for us. The thing is, we don’t realize this place is not good for us. We have no idea of the danger we are in. (this could be a literal physical place; this could be a place of friendship which is not good for us; this could be a mental place we have gone to in our mind which is not good for us)
We are like the bunny. We are minding our own business, living our normal life just like always. And we have no idea of the danger we are in! The place we are in is dangerous!
But our friend can see it!
We are completely unaware … but someone close to us can see it!
And just like the little chipmunk came charging out of the bushes straight for the bunny … to warn the bunny … so also our friend / that someone who is close to us confronts us about the place we are in. They raise their concerns to us.
In the same way that the bunny bolted a few paces, startled that it’s “friend” the chipmunk would act in such a way … so also, when someone confronts us about a dangerous place we are in, so also we too instinctively bolt. We think: “That’s not very nice. How dare they treat me like that. I thought they were my friend.”
But our friend can see that Satan is close at hand, about to devour us.
And in desperation, to save us, our friend / that someone who is close to us does just what the little chipmunk did to the bunny. The little chipmunk charged at full speed directly for the bunny … nipping at its back side! To get it to move! To get it out of the path of destruction! That’s what our friend does for us.
If we are smart … we will listen to our friend / that someone who is close to us and heed their warning. We will respond. We will get out of that place which is dangerous for us.
If we choose to reject our friend / that someone who is close to us … Satan will devour us!
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a [sneaky, devious coyote] looking for someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8
(As an aside, I had been pondering these thoughts all day yesterday, wanting to share it in a blog post … but I didn’t have a photo of the coyote. I didn’t have a photo at all which would go with these thoughts.
Then first thing this morning, bright and early at 6:15am … here came the coyote, trotting through the side yard! God sent the coyote by this morning … just for me … so that I could have these photos for this blog post! Isn’t God amazing!
The coyote was headed straight for the plum tree! It’s a good thing I’m not out there trying to pick plums this morning!)
