"He is my loving God and my fortress,my stronghold and my deliverer,my shield, in whom I take refuge....." Psalm 144:2
Just about everybody knows.....I’m crazy about wolves. My favorite sanctuary spans acres of tree-lined hills where nearly fifty wolves, rescued from abuse and neglect, were brought to live with as much dignity as can be achieved.
You’d think my first stop, during visits, would be the cubs. While they’re cute and more photogenic than The Gerber Baby, the creatures that lure me closest are the lone wolves.
Each wolf pack is led by strong, capable Alpha males and females. At any time, at least two lone wolves pace the outskirts—wishing for welcome that will never come. They crave inclusion among four-legged counterparts, but it’s simply not tolerated. Meals consist of what’s left after the others are full. Affectionate pats from caretakers are allowed.....if the actions go unnoticed. Mostly, they skulk away, starving for food and friendship.
Loners can’t join ‘wolfie’ games. Can’t nestle for comfort when thunder clashes, for warmth when cold winds blow. Living this way—always watching, never participating—teaches them a powerful lesson:
No one can be trusted. Not your father or your sibling, not your mother. You’re on your own, and trying to change pack hierarchy might would be costly.
How like us—who’ve suffered the death of loved ones, divorce, job loss—the lone wolves are. And how unlike us.....Each visit, I watch helplessly as loners dash in to steal biscuit crumbs and meat scraps. Though they rarely succeed.....
.....they keep trying!
They don’t trust their own kind, and that lack of trust drives them deep into the forest. It drives us into hiding, too, though we call our forests ‘work’, ‘alcohol’, ‘drugs’, the Internet. We hide from spouses, neglect our kids. Stop doing good deeds, give up walking the dog.
We’re afraid to ask for help, even from God!
If only we’d remember that, in times of greatest need, we’re cradled in His loving hands. “He is there, to protect and shelter us, no matter how dark the nights or how stormy the seas of our lives. “Again I will put my trust in Him.”
Yes, my heart aches for the sanctuary’s lone wolves, unable to trust their own kind. But those I pity most are the lone wolves of the wilderness, for they’ll never know the kindness of human caretakers.
The Lord is our caretaker, and His promises is that we never have to live that way. Isn’t that a miracle? Isn’t it a blessing! He will provide perfect peace.....if we trust Him.
I wish all lone wolves had access to The Father’s word. Maybe then, their hearts would calm and their spirits could rest, knowing “.....he is my goodness and my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer, my shield.....and he is whom I trust......” Perhaps then, they’d never feel that death is preferable to a trust-less life of isolation.
The Irish have a saying, quoted when visitors depart: “I pray you’ll never miss a sunset or a rainbow because you’re looking down.”
I pray your days will be filled with the joy that’s sure to come…
.....when you put your trust in God.
Loree Lough is a successful ChristianRomance writer and teacher, having authored over
60 books, her newest release, Love Finds
You in Paradise, Pennsylviana hits
bookstores in the spring of 2009.
Visit Loree at www.loreelough.com
