Photo and Commentary ©2023 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, November 2, 2023
This image of African Porcupines at the Oregon zoo seemed to stand out to me. Even with long sharp quills, they seem content to snuggle together.
It reminds me about a Sam Campbell story where they had a visitor who was deathly afraid of wild animals. Sam told her that the animals on their island were tame and would not hurt them. He demonstrated by holding a porcupine in his arms. A little while later, the lady came across a porcupine on a trail. Gathering her courage, she said sweet words and picked it up for a moment. Elated, she told Sam about how she overcame her fear and picked up his pet porcupine in the woods. Sam looked surprised and said his porcupine was near the cabin. She must have picked up a wild porcupine!
Strange how our thoughts and attitudes affect not just ourselves but have influence over others. It also goes to show how much we need to learn.
Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.
Psalm 112:4
So even if we have prickly things in our lives, we can learn to be better, braver, and more compassionate as we learn about God’s light.