Have you ever been face to face with a 400 pound skunk? Well, I have…sorta!

Our family spent many years happily touring the highways and byways of the U.S. and Canada on big motorcycles. The way we saw it, the difference between touring and traveling was this: Traveling involved getting from one point to another as quickly and boringly as possible; touring consisted of exploring and investigating every single back road, country lane, wild and domesticate critter, and natural site that intrigued us in any way.

Our two youngest children went with us. Mark and Kathleen rode on one bike. Pat and I rode on the other. We trailered the bikes to Pat’s parents’ home in upper New York State. We left the van and trailer there and took off. We crossed into Canada at the 1,000 Islands border station. Mark and I even swam in the St. Lawrence. Brrrrrrrrrr! Fortunately for them, Kathleen and Pat were too smart to join us.

Across the river from Montreal, we pulled into a lovely campground. We could see the Montreal skyline in the distance. Because we liked to stop early in the day, we had our two tents set up with time to spare. As darkness began to creep down the side of the trees and tents, we watched a full moon rise slowly and majestically into the star-studded sky. Incredibly beautiful!

As we snuggled into our sleeping bags, we could hear the wind in the pine trees. We could sense the glow of the full moon. It was a picture perfect campsite. It was a great night for sleeping. We had lots of plans for the next day. We gratefully embraced sleep and drifted off.

About 3:00 a.m., I woke up and crawled out through the front zipper of our tent. For a few minutes, I just drank in the beauty of the moon and the breeze in the trees. My intention was to walk down to the bathroom, but I was not in any hurry.

As I stood completely still, I heard a slight rustling coming from across the campsite. I watched intently, trying to figure out who or what was making the noise. What I saw, completely astounded me. There, snufflin’ and shufflin’, wallowin’ and wafflin’, snifflin’ and snortin’ was a skunk – not just any skunk – a 400 pound skunk! Well, it looked like it weighed 400 pounds. It was the biggest skunk I’d ever seen!

I didn’t move a muscle. I didn’t jiggle an ounce of fat. I grew roots! The skunk kept coming toward me, but didn’t seem to know I was there. I glanced at the tents that held my unsuspecting family. I thought about how much tomato juice I’d have to buy to un-stink them and the tents and the sleeping bags. The skunk not only wandered around, in and out of my legs, he sniffed and licked my toes. I figure he got exactly what he deserved! It seemed like an eternity passed before he left. Finally, he waddled out the other side of the campsite and we were spared.

What Life Lesson did I learn
from this experience?

• Well, first I learned that every circumstance in life that appears to be threatening or evil is not necessarily either. I was entering the skunk’s world. I was a guest, a visitor. He was just being a skunk. Fortunately, he didn’t behave in a particularly skunk-like manner!
• Next, I learned that, as the Scripture says, “A soft answer turns away wrath”. It isn’t always necessary to hit every seeming intrusion or perceived threat in our life head-on with fists flailing, feet stomping , and voice screaming at top volume.
• Finally, I learned that I didn’t have to become “best friends” with the skunk to avoid a smelly confrontation. I lived, he lived, my wife and two kids lived. I decided that I didn’t have to love every hair on his 27 acre body. I just had to avoid surely losing the battle that could have taken place.

Not all God’s creatures are great or small. Not all folks are easy to love or fun to be around. God doesn’t require us to pursue deep, abiding friendship with every person we meet. On the other hand, we are encouraged to pursue living at peace with people to the full extent of our ability to accomplish that peace.

How was Montreal the next day? It was great. The horse-drawn carriage, the tour of a beautiful church…the conversation with the mounted policeman downtown where we weren’t supposed to be on or in a motorized vehicle. But, that’s another story!

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