“How did I ever get into this situation?!”  That’s a thought many of us have had when a problem seems so huge to us that we don’t know where to start to overcome or correct it.  Today I suggest that rarely do large problems just happen.  They are usually the result of a lot of little things… over time… working together… that result in something big in our life. 

Fox.jpg  In The Song of Solomon 2:15 it is written, “Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom.” (ESV)

  The problem written about in this verse was not one of large animals destroying the vineyards… it wasn’t lions or elephants or cattle… it was cute, furry animals called “little foxes” that messed everything up.

  “Seeds become roots become shoots become trees become forrests.”

  People don’t declare bankruptcy because of one HUGE mistake… it’s usually the result of a bunch of little mistakes that culminate in financial failure.  People don’t get divorced as the result of one mess up… it’s usually the result of several to many missteps over a period of time that destroys a family.  People rarely break the law once and get put in prison, it’s the result of character flaws over time that result in jail time.

  The little foxes are… maxing out a credit card… getting another one and maxing it out… and doing it again and again… on top of debts for a house that can’t be afforded and furniture that is too expensive… on top of cars that are too expensive on top of not saving and living on a budget within a person’s means… on top of impulsive business decisions that result in financial failure.

  The little foxes are… a spouse with a wandering eye… watching inappropriate movies… surfing the internet for sites that shouldn’t be looked at… added to not working to keep the marriage relationship healthy… compounded by not running from temptation when it pops up… on top of allowing themselves to become emotionally involved with someone who isn’t their spouse.  Those things cause a marriage to fail.

  The little foxes are… a kid who shoplifts a pack of gum… who also copies video games or movies illegally… who cheats on tests at school… who isn’t honest on his tax return… who one day embezzles thousands from his employer, gets caught, and then ends up in prison.

  Alcoholics first drank a beer with friends… then they did it every other weekend… then every weekend… then a couple of nights a week… then every night… then one day they find they are addicted to alcohol and cannot escape it’s grips.

  “Seeds become roots become shoots become trees become forrests.”

  What are the little foxes in your life?  I don’t know what mine are and neither do you.  That’s why we have to ask God for help.  Then once He reveals the “little foxes” in our life, we deal with them for our own good.

  Ps 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.