Calling a Coyote
Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own. Proverbs 26:17 (NIV)
Yes, we have coyotes here in the woods around Arnot, PA. I have not seen any myself, but I see other’s pictures and hear the tales they tell. “Those chicken-stealin’ coyotes!... I have a difficult time telling the difference between a coyote and fox. However, both of them have a hankerin’ for chickens. Tracy Joy Jones (All God’s Creatures) gives us something to think about as she tells her story.
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My hometown lies on the banks of the Arkansas River, and once every century, the river floods. To protect the town, the city built a giant berm. And to protect the berm, the city encourages a healthy population of coyotes.
I’d never understood the reason until my neighbor stopped me one day to see if I’d seen a wounded dog in our shared backyard. She told me she stood on her back porch and called and called, but it wouldn’t come. A week later, I spotted it hobbling by in the thicket behind our homes. Only to me, it didn’t look at all like a dog.
Sure enough, I saw that limping “dog” in our local newspaper a few days later. According to the article, a wounded coyote had been seen by several resident along the berm. Animal control finally managed to catch it and planned to rehabilitee the coyote and release it. The article then stated that coyotes help control the beaver, groundhog, and gopher population, which would burrow into the berm and destabilize the dirt.
I was glad to know there was a reason for the coyotes. But what I couldn’t stop thinking about was my neighbor on her back porch calling for the wounded dog. “Here, doggy. Here, doggy.” Imagine if it had come to her call.
The funny thing is, sometimes I do the same thing. I call things into my life that could hurt me. I pick fights that aren’t mine to fight or jump blindly into situations. My intentions are good. I want to help but I need to learn when to fight and when to give the battle to God. Otherwise, I might end up calling a coyote.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. AMEN.