How to Deal with Distracting Foxes

Photograph by Joel Sartore

A couple of days ago, I had coffee with a pastor in town who is a close friend. We get together to encourage and support each other on a regular basis. Often, God speaks into my life through this guy and always at just the right time. This time was no exception, and it was powerful.

I was sharing honestly about a few minor financial and relational struggles. As I took a sip of my Americano, he looked me in the eye and said, “Those things are just foxes meant to distract you. Stay focused on Jesus, Kurt.”

The instant he used the word “foxes,” I knew precisely what he meant. Foxes aren’t wolves, or bears, or terrifying beasts. They can’t eat you. They can’t haul you off to their lair. You’re never going to die from a fox attack. But they sure can be a HUGE pain in the derriere, especially when you let them distract you.

Years ago, I visited a friend in Scotland. He had about fifty acres of some of the most beautiful countryside I’ve ever seen. While there, he told me a story about how one pesky little fox kept getting into his chicken coop and running off with some of his best egg-layers. He would sit up in his attic for hours sometimes with the window open and a rifle in hand, hoping to remove that wily fox from his beloved Scottish highlands.

With the expectation of a victorious story, I asked him, “Well, did you ever get him?” “Blimey, no!” he said, “I just wasted a lot of time sitting in my attic like a silly twit.” That’s what foxes do; they don’t run off with your wife or threaten your children. They just keep you worried about the chickens and wasting way too much time in the process. Read more