Cool Mornings and Coyotes

  This is the time of year we all sing praises for living in Arizona. Cool enough in the morning and evenings to call for a light jacket and/or patio heater while the perfect temp midday allows doors and windows to be open letting in the fresh air. Ah, Spring! It also makes for a great morning since the sun comes up a little earlier. Annie loves it too since I can once again, take her with me on an early morning run.  I’m still somewhat of a chicken to run in the dark alone even with her. But these crisp mornings have been great and sunrises are my favorite. So, off we went the other day just as the sun was rising. 

We did our typical run through the neighbor that has become so familiar to not only me but Annie as well. She even has the same spots to relieve herself. She likes to lead and I like to let her think she is, but I do have her on somewhat of a short leash. Mostly, because she is stronger than I am and I really don’t want any more road rash than she’s been known to give me. While we don’t have many squirrels that send her on a wild chase, we do have bunnies and other wildlife in the neighborhood.

    When we aren’t on the street or sidewalk, we are on a nice wide, paved walkway that goes throughout our development. I like these since they get us away from traffic and street noise but also provide pretty landscape throughout. I have become very fond of desert landscaping and the blooming cacti are gorgeous right now. So I try to use these pathways as much as possible. We had just entered the pathway that would take us passed the park to the next section of our run when I noticed the coyote sunbathing in our path about ten yards out. I don’t spook from coyotes anymore. I see them often enough and know that they are more afraid of us than we are of them.  But with Annie I wasn’t sure how she would respond. In the past she has treated them like another dog, wagging her tail and wanting to say “Hi”. On the side of caution I slowed us both down and waited to see what this one would do. 

    He got up ever so slowing and walked off the path but paused as if to let us by. That’s when I saw his friend with him. Neither seemed too anxious to get out of our way entirely and Annie, looking up at me, was aware of the situation as well now. Just as we had come a few feet closer I looked to my left to see what had caught these two coyotes attention across the path from them. A third one has joined the party leaving  Annie and I out numbered. Even though I still wasn’t scared I just wasn’t sure how Annie was going to react and I didn’t feel the need to be super woman in this situation. I yelled at them to leave and they did. We waited for them to be out of range and heading in a different direction before we proceeded on our run. 

    Coyotes prey on small wildlife and have been known to make a meal out of cats and small dogs so I really don’t think seventy three pound Annie is at risk. Other than  maybe a playdate but it gave me the willies anyway. It was a bit creepy how they seemed to be surrounding us in a pack. It’s not in my nature to not panic in a situation like this but I didn’t. I simply told them to leave and they did.

    My Spiritual journey is like that as well sometimes. God’s Word warns us of an enemy that preys on us. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” I can be running along, enjoying the fresh air and beautiful sunrise and all of a sudden I am being attacked in a way that I wasn’t expecting. Out of nowhere something from my past pops into my head telling me I should be ashamed. That I have no right teaching a bible study when I still haven’t gotten my act together. “Who do you think you are anyway?” Or my husband and I will have a silly fight that,  if we let it, could send us hours without speaking to each other waiting for the other to apologize first. I can be tempted to look at his sin and not my own. The devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 

    Satan doesn’t want me living victoriously and he will do whatever he can to get me to focus on myself and my circumstances. Because when I am doing that- I am not fixing my eyes on Jesus who already won the war over Satan.  I can live victoriously with Jesus when I am looking to Him and telling those coyotes to leave.

Pressing On