Most of us are not at all interested in coming anywhere near a skunk, unless it’s behind glass in a zoo. But what would you do if you came across a skunk in trouble outdoors? Would you try to help it? A few of us might, but a lot of us probably would not.
It was well known that Mr. Rood, a biology teacher, loved animals and all the things of nature. He was often called on to take care of injured creatures of one sort or another. This time the urgent telephone call was about a live skunk seen walking down the middle of the main street in the next town, and this skunk was in trouble.
Mr. Rood changed into old clothes, grabbed a pair of old gloves, then drove over to the town that had called.
It was still early in the day, so there wasn’t much traffic when he pulled onto Main Street. He had no difficulty spotting the skunk, and quickly parked.
In the wild, skunks are always searching for food. Often they’ll visit garbage dumps to search for food that people have thrown out. They will also walk along the roadside picking up food that has been carelessly thrown out of car windows.
That seemed to have been the case with this poor skunk. He had found an empty tin can and stuck his head inside to lick it out. When he was finished cleaning out the bottom of the can, he tried to back out. It didn’t work. The jagged edge of the can caught in his fur, and the poor skunk was stuck with a can on his head!
Mr. Rood had no trouble spotting the skunk because it was clattering along Main Street, bumping into parked cars and running into the curb.
Don’t you feel sorry for the poor skunk? He had a big problem that he couldn’t solve. Sometimes people have problems that they can’t solve, too. But the biggest problem that every one of us has can be solved, although we can’t solve it by ourselves. That problem is our sins.
We’ve all told lies, disobeyed our parents, cheated a little in school, or done other things that we know are wrong; every one of those is sin... and that means we are all guilty sinners. The Bible tells us this, too. “The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men.... There is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Psalms 14:2,32The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. 3They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Psalm 14:2‑3). But this sin problem can be solved, and the skunk soon had his problem solved, too.
This poor skunk couldn’t do a thing to free himself from that tin can. But Mr. Rood who loved all creatures, even skunks, came to his rescue.
As he walked up to the skunk, he began to talk to it in a soothing voice. The skunk must have heard him, because it stopped and turned toward him, can and all. Then, as Mr. Rood continued talking softly to the skunk, he scratched the pavement with his fingers so the skunk would hear him as he moved closer. He slowly placed his hand on the tin can and waited... but the skunk didn’t make a move or struggle. When Mr. Rood couldn’t find any ragged splinters of metal that might hurt the skunk, he gave the can a sudden yank! Off came the can and the skunk fell back, turning a backward somersault!
The skunk quickly got back on his feet, looked at Mr. Rood, then trotted off and disappeared under a hedge. The few people watching from a safe distance must have breathed a sigh of relief. I think Mr. Rood probably did also.
The skunk’s problem had been solved. Do you want to know how your sin problem can be solved?
God loves you and me more than we can understand... but He hates our sins. Because He loves us so very much, He planned a way to free us from our awful sins. His plan was very, very expensive. His only Son, Jesus Christ, would have to bear the punishment for sin and die, shedding His blood so that all those sins could be washed away forever.
The Lord Jesus also loves us more than we will ever understand, because He followed God’s plan exactly! He took the punishment for sin on Calvary’s cross and died. Then a soldier thrust a spear into His side. His precious blood shed there has the power to wash away your sins and mine forever, if we will only believe that it was for us.
You know, that skunk could have turned and run away when he heard Mr. Rood talking to him and moving closer. But the skunk must have sensed the kindness in Mr. Rood’s voice and trusted him. Have you heard the Lord Jesus’ loving voice saying to you; “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden [with sins], and I will give you rest”? Matthew 11:2828Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28). Won’t you trust Him?
ML-05/18/1986