The Porcupine

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:10 ESV).

I’ve used a rather the Porcupine over the last few days to illustrate the means through which we may conquer our anxieties. I know that may seem very unusual. In fact, as I looked through most of the resources mentioning porcupines in relation to strength or emotional well-being, I found that the porcupine was typically used to represent a negative personality. Titles like “How to Hug a Porcupine”, or “Handling that Porcupine in Your Church” were representative of the common theme. Tragically, the authors have used a common misconception of this animal’s character. Porcupines are large, slow-moving rodents with sharp quills on their backs. They are found on every continent except Antarctica. The North American porcupine is the only species found in the United States and Canada. All porcupines have a few traits in common though. The most obvious trait is the long, sharp quills that cover their bodies. Some quills can get up to a foot long, like those on the Africa's crested porcupine. Porcupines use the quills as a defense. They may shake them, which makes them rattle, as a warning to potential predators. If that doesn't work, they may flex their muscles in a way to make them stand out from their body and more easily released into the predator. In general, porcupines live in just about any terrain, including deserts, grasslands, mountains, rainforests and forests. Dens in tree branches or tangles of roots, rock crevices, brush or logs are the porcupine's home. Porcupines are nocturnal. During the night, they forage for food. Porcupines aren't really social preferring a solitary life. They are unusually docile however. Porcupines are herbivores, however they may chew on bones or shed antlers to sharpen their teeth and provide important minerals, like salt and calcium, to keep them healthy. Some would assign no value to this rodent. However, that would assume that God had no purpose in creation. The truth is they are an essential part of providing for smaller animals and birds, especially during the winter when food is scare and difficult to obtain. As they eat the bark and ends of branches, smaller bits and pieces fall to ground making foraging much easier for countless other species (there’s a sermon in there somewhere, but that’s for another time). Here’s the point. Humility has nothing to do with strength or the lack thereof. In fact, the bible teaches us the humility brings with it strength. The believer ought to know the source of our strength is not in our physical or intellectual abilities. Like the porcupine we may look odd and vulnerable; however, since we are the children of God, and he cares for us (cf. 1 Peter 5:7), nothing can change our ultimate destiny. We are bound for exaltation (James 4:10). Be a porcupine, not a prickly, disagreeable person!