Bear Creek Trail

Bob Turner and I began running together around Labor Day, 2008.  We've already logged well over a thousand miles together, and as you might imagine in that distance and the length of time that takes to accomplish we have had some experiences.  We have run in cold, sleet, snow, rain, and more than once have tried to traverse layers of ice.  We see walkers, runners, and bikers of all stripes and varieties, but the furrier wildlife has been diverse and interesting, too.  We have run past elk, coyotes, foxes, rabbits, hawks, owls, prairie dogs, and squirrels.  Only once did we not try to shoo or run past an animal.  In a pre-dawn run a few months ago, we saw a skunk on the Bear Creek Trail.  What's more, he had his tail in the air.  I have never felt more deference and respect for a creature than I did that fateful morning.  We waited patiently for him to assess us as a non-threat and to decide to meander away from the trail.  Then, we proceeded with hastened pace.

Why do you give more humble submission to a ten-pound stinker than a thousand-pound bull elk?  Both can do you harm, but the kinds of harm stands in stark contrast.  All those animals must be handled with care, but it is harder to do that with a skunk than the others.  They are equipped and ready to take aim at perceived threats in a way only time and tomato juice can heal.

We all encounter skunks on the road.  I am not talking about the little black ones with a white stripe down the back.  I mean the hypersensitive, chip-on-the-shoulder, perpetually offended, type.  The kind who are looking for slights and offenses to which they can offer ready retaliation--the lashers, the strikers, and the reactors.  

When I think of Jesus, I cannot envision a Man listening for the barb in Thaddeus' remark or looking for the slight in Thomas' behavior.  He knew what was in the hearts of all men (John 2:25), but that did not make avoiding hypersensitivity easier.  Imagine how you would feel toward others if you knew with perfect clarity what they were thinking about you at all times.  He was truly offended by so many (1 Pet. 2:23), but He did not respond in kind.  

I want to be more like Jesus.  That means I am going to be more like a lamb and less like a skunk.  I will try to put the best construction on people's motives, thoughts, words, and actions.  I don't have to be naive or fearful to do that.  I have to be patient, wise, understanding, and full of self-discipline to do that.  Surely, I will want to strive toward that!  It will help me not to be a stinker that others would rather avoid!

Neal Pollard

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