A Skunk in the Camp

It was the perfect ending to the day: sitting at the picnic table enjoying a cup of coffee.  The night was warm with just the slightest breeze.  Crickets sang and other night noises mingled with the sweet, shrill sound.  “Don’t move quickly,” my husband suddenly said, clearly alarmed.

            “What’s wrong,” I asked, troubled by my husband’s agitation. 

            “If you look around really slowly,” he said softly, “you will see a skunk is joining us in the camp.”

            “What?  Where?”

            “He’s still behind you, so you need to rise easy and quietly, and leave the table.  Back away and hopefully he won’t spray us.”

            Following my husband’s direction, I stood and quietly exited without incident.  Watching from the safety of the tent, my husband also rose as quietly as possible and quickly retreated.  The skunk didn’t seem bothered by our presence and continued walking until he was completely though the camp. 

            There are times when something large, foreboding, or intimidating enters our lives and we are forced to deal with it, much like the skunk that made his unannounced and unwelcome appearance in our campsite.  Sometimes the “skunk” comes in the form of something like a snake (snakes scare me silly), spiders or other natural enemy.  It could be something advertised as harmless entertainment, like a casino with gambling, or social drinking which turns into alcoholism or a friend sharing a drug which turns into a horrible addiction, or even divorce or death.

            I remember reading an article years ago that was sharing the “visit” from a guest in the house.  The guest ended up moving in and over the course of time changed the lives of every member of the household.  The “guest” began using inappropriate language, displaying offensive behavior and generally monopolizing every person’s time.  The “guest” began intruding on and changing expected behaviors and attitudes in nearly every aspect of life.  The guest?  The television!

            Television seems harmless enough, in the sense we have the choice of turning it off or change the channel if we don’t like what we see. It seems, however, once it’s on, unless the language or behavior is REALLY offensive we acclimate to what we’re hearing and seeing. We’ve become immune to bad manners, inexcusable conduct and moral decay because it’s on nearly every channel.  Our children have grown up with it. 

            The conduct observed on the television screen is blatantly displayed not only on TV, but in our schools, shopping malls and homes, and even our churches!  Please understand, I’m not suggesting that all television is bad, but is this the “skunk” in many households that weaves the threads of “acceptable sin?”

            We make choices in our daily lives regarding what we will and will not do or allow.  It’s imperative, if we want to live a godly life, to lean on The Father so we can be saved from the temptation of giving in to the “skunk” in whatever form it comes.   We need to be aware, our "skunk" is likely to leave us less than acceptable, for the Kingdom.