![]() Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. -Song of Songs 2:15 About once a week, I see a fox. Usually they are on the edges of a field or forest, gliding smoothly as if on wheels rather than legs. To me they are a beautiful sight, with their red coats and fluffy tails. I catch a glimpse of them before they quickly disappear into the nearest thicket. And I thank God for a glimpse of nature’s beauty. Foxes are not always a delight, however. There’s a reason they are known as crafty. They can sneak into yards and kill chickens and birds. They dig up plants, flower beds, and lawns searching for insects and worms, or to bury their prey. They can really be a pain. Foxes are also notoriously difficult to catch because they can run and hide so well. If they weren’t, there would have been no adventure for the upper class fox hunts that dominated the English landscape in the 18th and 19th centuries. All of that leads us to this rarely noticed passage. Christians never know quite what to do with Songs of Songs because it’s so hot and heavy. I mean, if you can’t read a book of the bible with your grandmother without blushing, maybe you should just avoid it altogether? So we miss out on some of the best imagery the scriptures have to offer. In addition to being a celebration of the wonder of romantic love, Song of Songs has also been interpreted for millennia as an allegory about Gods’ love for us, and book of wisdom about love and intimacy in all sorts of relationships. That’s why this one little sentence is something we all should be familiar with: Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. There are these little foxes, and they are running wild. They may look cute, but they’re doing damage to vineyards that took time and work to cultivate. These little foxes are trampling the blooming plants, making it impossible for them to bear the fruit that they were growing toward. They need to be caught before they destroy the entire season’s crop! Of course, there are no real foxes in this story. The "vineyard" is the relationship that is forming. There is something beautiful possible, but these hard-to-catch little “foxes" are threatening to destroy the relationship. I wonder, what were their foxes? I wonder, what are yours? The excruciating season we’re in right now has fox dens popping up everywhere. Little stealthy rascals running around and trampling things that could be blooming. Arrogance. Disdain. Jealousy. Complaining. Gossip. Tribalism. Judgment. Unspoken hurts. Assumptions. Little things running around inside us that can wreck relationships. In the exhaustion and pain that so many of us feel, the opportunity is incredible for supportive and caring relationships to blossom. We need each other. But these things get in the way. Are we looking for the foxes and catching them before they ruin our relationships? Before they destroy the good that Jesus is always at work to do in us? The way of Jesus is one of self reflection and other-oriented love. Jesus walks with us as we honestly identify the attitudes and actions that pull us away from his kingdom. And then, Jesus empowers us with his spirit and with others in community to catch our foxes before they do permanent damage. At 9pm nightly, my wife and I both stop and take a few minutes for silence and prayer. That time of quiet has been leading to little spontaneous conversations about catching the foxes in our lives (though we’ve never called them that). It’s no shock that those little minutes of conversation are exceedingly more valuable than simply turning on a show or opening another app on our phones. And I know this may sound a little sadistic, but catching foxes really can be an adventure. Honesty with others about what we’re feeling, what things could be blooming, and what is getting in the way of growth— those sorts of conversations are what God made us for. It’s what Jesus designed the Church for. We don’t have to go fox hunting alone. And when we do take real steps to help our relationships flourish, God gives us a sense of hope and perseverance that keeps us moving through the tough times. We shouldn’t be afraid of naming the foxes in our lives. How else will we be able to catch them? And let us heed the advice to catch them while they’re young. The longer a fox stays around, the more damage it will cause. We need to be proactive in getting to the roots of anger, selfishness, pride, and despair before they get a death grip on our souls. Thank God that we're in this thing together. Jesus, I need your help to identify the things that keep love from flourishing in my life. Lead me to fresh insights and meaningful conversations today. Peace, Keith
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