They were
coming for her. She knew it in the very pit of her stomach. She needed a plan.
There were few choices since the snow in their valley was so deep that one
wrong step would find her covered to the ears in it. And then they would have
her and any of those who followed her.
The thought
of being hunted didn’t scare The White Lady of the Canyon Wolf pack. They had fought
with the Mollies pack before who were giants in comparison to her small band of
followers. The Mollies were bloodthirsty, ruthless, and constantly out to
expand their territory.
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| White Lady From: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/shooting-rare-white-lady-wolf-10430852 |
The slight
winter wind lifted the blazing white fur on her back that matched the white of
the newly fallen snow. She lifted her
nose in a defiant howl that would call her family to her side to fight again
for their very existence. The giant Mollies rushed down from the hilltop above,
their prey in sight.
“Wake up!”
the angel shook Joseph awake with quick instructions to take Mary and Jesus to
Egypt.
For they
were being hunted.
First, by
the magi. The wise men from the east. These hunters followed the star to
Bethlehem so that they could worship the Christ child and give Him gifts of
gold, frankincense and myrrh.
But the
second hunter was not interested in worshipping the Christ child. No, King
Herod wanted to hunt Jesus down and kill Him. That’s why the angel called on
Joseph to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt. But King Herod did not know who Jesus was,
only the general area in which Jesus had been born. So he had all of the baby
boys under the age of 3 killed in Bethlehem and the surrounding area. Just to
be sure his prey had not escaped.
But they
had escaped. After the angel had left, Joseph got up and stood over Mary and
the tiny baby Jesus. Joseph was just a simple carpenter from a small village.
But his giant heart and his never-ending courage would give him the resolve to do
whatever it took to protect his family. And so, as the angel instructed, Joseph
would take Jesus and Mary to Egypt where they would be safe.
Wolves do
not know a “safe” place. Even in Yellowstone, the wolf packs hunt each other to
gain more territory, just as the Mollies had done time and time again with The
White Lady’s pack.
But the
wolves are not just hunted by other packs.
They are
hunted by humans.
We had been
so excited that we might see The White Lady of the Canyon Wolf pack on our trip
to Yellowstone. For many years, visitors from all over the world had gone to
the park just to catch just a glimpse of her. Anyone who posted pictures or
stories about her on the internet would experience an immediate following of
countless fans. She was unusual because her coat was completely white and she
led her pack with such strength against incredible odds.
But we
would not get to see her. You see, one month before we arrived in Yellowstone, hikers
in the park would find her barely alive from a lethal gunshot wound.
Man had
seen The White Lady of the Canyon Wolf pack as prey to be hunted rather than
protected.
Family Time
1. Play a game. For this one, the house
must be dark and everyone needs a flashlight. Pick one person to hide and give
them a few moments to go hide. The rest of you split up and try to find the
person hiding. Use your flashlights to look for them. All of you can stay
together, or split up to find the “it”. If you decide to split up, make sure
you alert the others to come where you found the person who was “it”. Talk
about how this game feels so much different from the first week’s game we
played where you all squished into the same space when you found the “it”.
2. There are a lot of different ways
that we can feel “hunted”. One example is when someone keeps an eye on you
hoping you will make a mistake so they can get you in trouble. Jesus
experienced this a lot during His time on earth. What are some other ways that
we can feel like we are being hunted?
3. Has there ever been a time when you
protected someone? How did that make you feel? How do you think Joseph felt
taking his family to Egypt? Do you think the fact that his job was to protect
Jesus the Son of God made it easier or harder? Why?
4. Read Matthew 12:14. Why do you think
the Pharisees wanted Jesus dead? How do the Pharisees remind you of the Mollies
Wolf pack from our story?
5. Sometimes we can see the qualities
of Jesus in other people—particularly those who are Christians. However, we can
also see qualities of Jesus in nature. How does the she-wolf called “The White
Lady” remind us of Jesus?
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