Photo by Elisa Stone on Unsplash

So, I just moved out to the country, into the very house I left vowing never to return to. No doubt both God and my dad have gotten some good laughs, especially during the first couple of months, like when a skink got into our house. Twice. For those of you unfamiliar with skinks, like I wasn’t, they look like lizards with short legs and a blue stripe down the length of their backs. They can actually “drop” their tails to escape if they need to. Creepy.

The first time it got in was during some exterior door repair, when the door was left open allowing the skink to find its way inside. I’m pretty sure it lived in our sofa for a week or so until someone finally caught it for me. The second time it got in was during our move. My husband found it in the bedroom. Thinking it was a leaf lying on the floor, he went to pick it up. It escaped and remained hidden for at least another week before I found it near the back door and ran it out with a broom.

Last week during more construction, a worker found a four-foot snakeskin just above the shower stall. I had been disturbed enough by the skink. The snakeskin even unsettled the construction workers. I was ready to move back to a city street without all the wildlife. 

But between the skink and snake encounters, we saw a skunk. He showed up every evening at sunset, coming right up near our living room windows, wandering around looking for bugs or whatever skunks dig around for. I videoed him once and posted it on social media. The video got tons of views, and the post received lots of comments. 

Most comments were like mine, fear of the skunk and its spray. But some comments were much kinder toward skunks, saying how lucky we were to have a skunk because they eat grubs in the yard, and they even eat venomous snakes. Okay, the skunk fans got my attention, and the skunk won my acceptance. He could stay!

After a couple of weeks, we found ourselves watching for him every evening at sunset, enjoying the sight of our little friend sniffing around for food. We even gave him names like Pepe le Pew and Stinkpot. Then one evening he didn’t show up. We haven’t seen him since, and now I miss him. I feel bad because I misjudged him based on the negative things I had heard and read about skunks.

I don’t miss the skink being inside, but I have learned that they eat spiders; another kind of creepy critter we have in surplus here. So, I’m okay with having skinks. Outdoors! I don’t want to come across a four-foot snake, but I was told that the snakeskin belonged to a “good snake” that eats the “bad snakes.” So, I hope he’s still around somewhere… just not in our attic.

Our skinks and snakes and skunks have all taught me a valuable lesson about being quick to misjudge things, and people, based on insufficient and often incorrect information. In fact, God doesn’t give me permission to judge at all when it comes right down to it, even when I believe I have the right. So, thanks, God, for the interesting life lessons about judgement. Forgive me and give me a nudge when you notice me doing it again. Also, while you’re at it, I’d love for you to send Stinkpot back, if you don’t mind.

Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So, what right do you have to judge your neighbor? 

James 4:11-12, New Living Translation