Elephant Hunting

This morning as we were sitting in language, (joy of joys!) our language helper, Pamela, told us about when her grandfather used to go hunting… for elephants.
The thought that people would actually consider elephants as a food source sort of stunned me, but after that concept got through my thick skull, the way they actually hunted them was even more amazing.

Pamela said all the men in the village would go out together (I guess an elephant is too much for just one man!) to track the elephants. When they found one, someone would throw their spear to wound the elephant in the trunk. While this wouldn’t be considered a fatal wound by any means, an elephant’s trunk is where he is most sensitive. Once he realized he was injured in the trunk, he would become completely consumed with taking care of his trunk and would be oblivious to everything else around him. The hunting party would then take the opportunity to attack the rest of his body with their spears and knives. The elephant wouldn’t really care about the more dangerous attacks, because he was so concerned with his injured trunk.

As she was telling us all this, I thought, how like the enemy! He distracts us with the things that identify us, the places where we’re most tender and sensitive. He attacks us there, in the issues that won’t really hurt us in the long run, but that occupy our hearts and minds. And once we’re focused on the trivial issues in life, we don’t realize that he’s attacking us in the really vital areas, that places that will destroy us. We get so caught up in our pet projects, our longing for affection, our hobbies, our friends, our need for gossip or for entertainment, we don’t realize that we haven’t had quality time with the LORD in weeks. That our relationships with the people who mean the most are falling apart. That our hearts, our very lives, are under attack.

I don’t know what the answer or solution is. I’m not completely sure there is one. I think I need to be more aware of where I’m vulnerable, where I tend to get sidetracked. And realize that when I do get sidetracked, it’s probably because the enemy is trying to keep me from paying attention to where the real battle truly is.