Saturday, October 11, 2014

Wolves and the Family of God


This week my family experienced the South Carolina State Fair.  In all my years living in SC, this was my first visit to the state fair.  Immediately after entering the gate, we took seats at an outdoor show showcasing wolves.  We learned much about the habitat and behavior of these beautiful creatures. 

One interesting fact is that many people view wolves as primarily vicious creatures from stories such as Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs.  Wolves and wolf packs, however, actually share some honorable characteristics.

Listening to the lady describe wolves, several spiritual lessons illustrated by these animals in the wild struck me.

1.  Wolves take care of the elderly.  Caring for the elderly marks the habits of wolves.  They look after their older members.  They do not discard them.  The Bible exhorts us again and again to honor our older members, treat them with respect, and serve them in special ways.

2.  When wolf cubs are born, other females in the pack in addition to the mother help care for them.  Actually, other females begin the process of lactation.  For you men, that means their bodies prepare to give milk to young.  I thought, "What an interesting parallel to the Body of Christ."  Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12 that we are responsible for one another.  When we see a new Christian or a young believer in our church, they are partially our responsibility.  We are to all come alongside of them, encouraging, exhorting, teaching, modeling, and helping them to grow.

3.  When a wolf is thrown out of the pack, it can break his spirit.  This presentation had one wolf that had previously been thrown out of a pack.  When they found him, his spirit was wounded.  The adults had to love on him and help his spirit for a while. 

I have seen numerous Christians who felt like they had been "thrown out of the pack" at a previous church or fellowship group.  When that happens, our spirits can almost break.  It is so important to reconnect with other believers, loving on each other, caring for one another, and reminding our brothers and sisters in Christ, "You matter to me, and you belong to me."

All of that from the lives of wolves.  God builds a lot of lessons for us into His wonderful creation.



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