So
far, it has been twice this year. I believe that
it was the same number of times last year. The King
of the Jungle struck, and left the wreckage of his
attack as a mark upon our home.
There
is no other creature with such a fearful display
of power. No creature can stand before him. He walks
with confidence, and seems to be hurried by none.
Four
times in the last two years we have been bested.
After one attack, the King sat nearby to proudly
see the results of his awesome display, as though
to mock us and show his disdain for us mere humans.
Perhaps some day I will be able to show my mastery
over this arrogant dictator, by having one for a
pet. But, until the time I can subdue him, I must
humbly bow, to the power of the skunk.
We
have gotten better at dealing with the aftermath
of these skunk attacks. We discovered that an expensive
sulfur based shampoo, which we use on one of our
dogs, is as good as tomato juice for cutting the
smell, and cleaning up our dog. Likewise the sulfur
odor of stricken matches cuts the smell, which permeates
our olfactory membranes after our speedy Greyhound
runs through the whole house before we can stop
her.
These
attacks from the skunk, who is the true King of
the Jungle in my eyes (or is that nose?), remind
me, that I do not live in an always benevolent universe.
Practically, we all understand this simple truth.
Life can be hard and sometimes it even stinks. Yet,
it does not always hit home that there may be creatures
out there, who may be working to make my life more
difficult.
In
the invisible realm of spirits, we are told that
there is a force who is the King of the Jungle.
He runs "to a fro throughout the earth," "as a roaring
lion...seeking whom he may devour." Satan, or Lucifer
is his name.
In
the realm of the spirit world, I refuse to bow to
the power of Satan, because I understand that his
power has been overcome by the power of my Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ. Yet, like the attack of
the skunk which leaves its mark upon my home, there
is stench which remains behind in the wake of the
devil's work.
I
do not see demons behind every unwelcome action,
and disagreement, but I would be foolish to assume
that the spirit world is significantly different
from the sometimes antagonistic natural world I
see around me every day. There are attacks upon
my comfort, my well-being, and potentially even
my life. Occasionally I may even be assaulted by
this King of the Jungle himself.
When
I come across the skunk, I am reminded that I have
an adversary in the unseen realm, who attempts to
make life stink. Yet, despite this reminder, I hope
to someday have a skunk as a pet. They are so confident,
so peaceful, and just plain cuddly looking. Of course,
this also reminds me that not every dangerous situation
is aggressive, or openly hostile. Some of those
situations can appear quite cuddly.
