My wife and I just spent a week’s vacation with our three boys in the beautiful state of Maine. One of the highlights for me was the opportunity I had to catch up with my best friend Doug and his wife and children. Doug and I grew up across the street from one another and though I wouldn’t say we were always tight friends, each of us can recall, if nothing else, celebrating a birthday party or two together at Chucky Cheese. Our casual and somewhat sporadic friendship took a turn when Doug became a Christian in the summer of ‘97. He was traveling with the sub-culture group of hippies following the Grateful Dead and other spin-off bands when God arrested his heart, convicted him of his sin and showed him his need for the Savior. After deciding to follow Christ, Doug showed up on my doorstep with a King James Bible in hand looking to have some spiritual conversation. I was home from college for the summer and had turned into a bit of a hippie myself. I was game for some deep mystical interaction, so I opened my garage door, and sat to listen to Doug talk about the changes that were happening in his life. As Doug explained the gospel to me that night in the best terms he knew how, the Holy Spirit began penetrating my heart and mind. It was not long after that that I, too, repented of my sin and placed my full trust and faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

It’s been about 11 years now since God caused both Doug and I to be born again. He also birthed us into a friendship that proves to be, again and again, one of the richest blessings I know in this life. Our time together in Maine was a refreshment to my soul. It has spurred me on follow and fellowship with Jesus and to dig into His Word that I might know Him truly. Through this brother God brought me correction, encouragement and a renewed sense of His guiding hand upon my life. After being together for those few days I thought about just how much of a gift fellowship really is. King David’s song rang in my ears,

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!” Ps. 133:1

Apparently David and other worshipping Jews understood the rich blessing of being united as a people under their God. As New Testament believers we now have greater reason to rejoice under the loving reign of the One who has shed His own blood for our souls and who unifies us in the Body of Christ. No matter if it’s with a life-long friend or with a brother we just met last week, God has given us the gift of fellowship as a means of deepening our understanding of Him and to gain courage for our pilgrimage heavenward. As we walk though this world and live transparently before one another may we realize just how good and how pleasant Christian fellowship really is.

I don’t have chapter and verse for this but I’m pretty much convinced that skunks are a product of the fall. I’m not sure how it goes in your mind but I don’t picture Adam turning to Eve before the curse and saying, “You know, that smell ain’t half bad.”

“Adam, I rather enjoy it.”
“Great, let’s call it skunk”

My wife and I live in an old farm house that’s been transformed into several apartment units just outside the borough of West Chester. Being that it is an old house we accepted the fact that there were critters living among us and so long as they kept their distance from us and our kids, we were happy to co-exist. Well, our happy cohabitation came to a screeching halt the night the skunks moved in under our back porch. Apparently, there have been groundhogs running about these parts for some time. Over the years they have developed a well traveled tunnel system that has an entrance and exit below our porch, which is also right outside our bedroom window. Seizing upon the groundhog’s hard work, a band of skunks decided to roll into the pre-existing tunnels hoping to find a nice place for themselves. So, at 2 am one April morning the turf war began.

It was bad. I’m talkin’ my upstairs neighbor on the second floor sprayed cologne on his upper lip just to get back to sleep. Our neighbor across the hall on the first floor had Febreze spraying on two minute increments to avoid gagging because the smell was so potent. I went to exercise the next morning and when I returned to my locker after my workout I just about passed out because my clothes still reeked of skunk from the night’s activity. Add to that an eight month pregnant wife who’s already having trouble sleeping at night. It was bad – and we couldn’t get rid of the feuding critters.

A few days into all of this I was working on a home project and got called out of the house to help a friend. Just before the phone rang I heard the familiar scratching noise under our porch which meant the groundhogs and skunks were rumbling again. As I left the house I was angry. I was angry that these vile creatures chose my back porch to start their happy home. I was angry that this whole ordeal was costing my wife and I sleep at night. I was angry because after several nights of baited traps not one skunk was caught. As I drove across town that night the Lord began convicting me about my anger.

“Do I not control all things?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. Romans 11:36

“Yes, Lord, You are over all.”

“Do I not have a good purpose for all things in your life? And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

“Yes, Lord, your will is perfect and good.

Do I not call my children to trust Me with all their hearts? “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

“Lord, I’m leaning on my own understanding and I’m not trusting You with this circumstance. Please forgive me and change my heart.”

God granted me the gift of repentance that night. I don’t remember if it was the same night or the next morning but I sat down with my wife and told her that I think we should view the skunks differently. Maybe an exterminator needed to hear the gospel. Maybe this was just one way the Lord wanted us and our neighbors to get out of our shells and know one another more. Or maybe it was just my loving heavenly Father revealing to me again that I need a Savior and through faith in the death and resurrection of Christ alone can I receive His power to change. Whatever the lesson, my sinful anger was not the answer.

How about you? If you’re like me, it’s not the big, huge trial right now that’s testing you. It’s the day to day, skunks under the back porch type things that test our souls and refine our lives. It’s in these mundane moments that God speaks into our lives and reveals to us He’s at work through the power of the gospel to change us. These circumstances are but tools in His loving hands. Praise Him.

By the way, about a week later three skunks made their way into the traps that were set. We haven’t seen any more since.