I have always been an animal lover. I grew up with dogs, cats, chickens, skunks and rabbits. Yes, we had a pet skunk. These various critters kept me entertained for hours on end. For the most part, they were great companions.
But, I distinctly recall that one of our cats was a little on the wild side. He was a very large Manx, which is a breed that has no tail. Trust me, this was not a cat you would want to grab by the tail unless you had extra fingers and a high pain tolerance. He was very friendly for about five minutes a day, and he alone chose which five minutes. When his mood went to the dark side, no amount of catnip would save you.
Needless to say, the time came for this feline to find a new home. I suggested a zoo, but I don’t recall who the poor soul was who took him off of our hands. I hope they learned to pet the little demon with a baseball glove, because that was the only safe way to do it.
Aside from chasing the mailman, most of my dogs were pretty docile. One of them did make a tasty snack out of my rabbit, but you have to blame nature for that. On a recent vacation, I took my love for animals to a new level by visiting a drive-thru safari. All of these wild beasts were suddenly licking what looked like Captain Crunch from my hands, all within inches of my face. There’s nothing like buffalo breath first thing in the morning to get you either wide awake or nauseous.
I eventually got the nerve to begin petting some of the animals, which we were advised not to do, but they were so cute, I couldn’t resist. We were especially advised not to hand feed the zebras and ostriches because they couldn’t tell the difference between Captain Crunch and a finger, or perhaps they just didn’t care. On a side note, one of those big birds had hair like The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards. I asked him to sing me a few notes, but he declined in favor of continuing his assault on my windshield. By the time we got to the end of the safari, everyone was drenched in deer drool and smelled of regurgitated fermenting foilage.
As I drove back home, I pondered the possible outcomes of petting some of those adorable, but formidable creatures. I saw much of human nature in my actions. Their gentle appearance drew me in and caused me to abandon wisdom altogether.
There are a lot of things in life that seem harmless until you pet them. Soon, you can find yourself missing a figurative finger or two. Some “adorable beasts” will climb inside the car with you and take the steering wheel right from your hands, leading you straight over the cliff of various addictions and destructive habits.
That’s why, in life’s safari, we need Jesus so desperately. He is the only person who has overcome the world, which includes our ridiculously shallow human natures. In fact, in John 16:33, Jesus promises that he has deprived the world of its power to harm us. We just need to listen when He asks us to roll up the windows or keep our hands inside the vehicle. It is, after all, a jungle out there!