Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, October 24, 2026
In our neighborhood over the last few months, Shelley and I have been noticing an alarming phenomenon. We’ll be walking along the sidewalk, and we’ll discover that large patches of a lawn – even well-kept lawns in front of expensive houses – have been brutally vandalized.
The general neighborhood consensus is that raccoons and crows are looking for grubs. It seems that the raccoons, with their bigger muscles and claws, arrive at night do the heavy work. Later, the crows come along and forage for what’s left. What you’re looking at in the photo is perhaps the largest area of damage we’ve seen on an individual lawn, but several other yards have been attacked as well. There doesn’t seem to be anything people can do about this heartless “tricking for treats.”
I guess if we’re looking for a parable in this, we could remind ourselves of how the devil and his minions are equal-opportunity destroyers. “Be sober, be vigilant,” Jesus’ friend Peter warns us, “because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8 NKJV) The devil, of course, is after not grubs but souls. Satan desperately doesn’t want you and me to have eternal life.
However, unlike the raccoon/crow plague, Peter reassures us a couple of verses later that God has a victory plan:
But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. (Verse 10)
Amen!