School was out for the summer, and like many families the Youngs liked to go camping. This time they decided to travel through the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire on their way to visit friends in Ontario.
By late afternoon, they arrived at a campground overlooking a scenic river and set up their tent trailer for the night. After supper, the family drove into a nearby town to shop for a few things.
“Daddy, can we get some donuts?” the children pleaded as they walked past a bakery. The smell of freshly baked donuts was wonderful! “Let’s buy a dozen apple fritters, and we’ll have them for breakfast,” suggested Dad. Everyone liked that idea.
It was nearly dark by the time the family arrived back at the campground. So that there would be enough room for everyone to sleep comfortably in the tent trailer, they decided to store some camping supplies, including the apple fritters, under the trailer.
During the night it began to rain. Dad awoke and zipped the windows closed so no one would get wet. He also decided to take a flashlight outside to check if the van windows were closed. It was then he heard a rustling noise. Peering under the trailer with the flashlight, he was suddenly face to face with a skunk! By then over half of the apple fritters had been eaten, and Mr. Skunk didn’t want to leave until he had finished the rest of his midnight snack.
Although no one wants to tangle with a skunk, Christian boys and girls (and grown-ups too) face a far more dangerous enemy every day. Satan is sneaky and tries to steal our fellowship and enjoyment of the Lord Jesus by tempting us to disobey God’s Word. He’ll whisper to us that it’s all right to steal something we think we should have or to speak unkindly to someone, maybe even our parents! But the Bible says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw [near] to God, and He will draw [near] to you” (James 4:7-87Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. (James 4:7‑8)).
Dad shone the flashlight on the unwelcome thief. After what seemed like five minutes, but was really only about 15 seconds, Mr. Skunk began to back away. Off he waddled into the darkness, leaving his unfinished snack behind.
In the morning, Dad explained his nighttime adventure to the rest of the family. Everyone was disappointed about the stolen apple fritters, but another trip to the bakery soon produced a fresh supply. At breakfast Mom said, “Maybe God had Mr. Skunk steal our apple fritters to teach us something. When Dad shone the light in his eyes, he went away, and when we meet Satan with the light of Scripture, he’ll leave in a hurry too!”
ML-08/07/2016