What Time Is It, Mr. Fox?
Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. Proverbs 4:14-15 (ESV)
It seems like forever ago since I played that game with my classes at His Kids and Trinity Lutheran School but I remember it well. With glee, the children would sneak up behind Mr. Fox and everyone would yell. “What time is it, Mr. Fox” and he would turn around and say, “Time for lunch,” and then chase the children back to their home spot. If he caught one, they became Mr. or Mrs. Fox. Sometimes, someone got caught and other times, the fox went hungry.
Now, how I thought of this game for young kids is kind of unusual. I sat here at my writing desk and asked the Holy Spirit, “What shall I share today?” Nothing came to mind. Time passed, I simply wondered, ‘What time is it?’ and this plunked down in my thoughts.
As adults, hopefully we recognize a hungry spiritual fox before it grabs us and we become a meal. Sometimes foxes are adorable and sweet looking and at other times luxurious - so how can they be dangerous?
At times we feel tired, sick, moody, hungry and all kinds of other physical and emotional states of being. It only takes a moment for us to fall into a negative place and there he is. Mr. Fox steps up and tries to escort us to some fine dining, great entertainment, table talk, and all of a sudden, we are spilling our guts to him. We know better but it happens in a flash.
The Holy Spirit jabs us. We then realize what we’re doing and try to leave the scene. It’s not always easy to get away but thank God, we need and have help to escape the cunning, sly charismatic fox.
We breath a sigh of relief as we return to our daily routine. Having that ever-so-present question like a neon sign, “How did that happen?” Does shame overtake us? Are we licking our wounds? There isn’t time for that. We faithfully turn to our God who already knows about out earthly activities.
He does not scold or yell. He is intimately knowledgeable of how Mr. Fox works. We were not gone for too long and yet He welcomes us back with open arms. Do we ask for forgiveness or make excuses? Blame someone else, or just say, “God, I goofed for I chose the wrong path. Please forgive me.”?
Gracious Father, thank You for the Holy Spirit who tells us to watch out. You are a loving God who does not throw lightening bolts but gently loves us back. Let us use our experiences as a testimony for others. AMEN.