我非常興奮地在後院種植蔬菜和水果。但不久之後，我開始注意到泥土中有好幾個小洞；而且在水果尚未成熟之前，我們的第一批果子也離奇地消失了。有一天，我發現我們家那棵最大的草莓植株，被一隻築巢的兔子連根拔起，被烈日曬焦了，這令我感到十分沮喪。我真希望自己早早就能更加注意這些警訊！

在雅歌這首美麗的情詩中，記載了一對年輕男女的對話。這位新郎在呼喚新娘時，嚴厲地警誡說，不要讓那些動物毀壞戀人的花園，這花園是比喻他們倆親密的關係。他對新娘說：「要給我們擒拿狐狸，就是毀壞葡萄園的小狐狸」（雅歌2章15節）。或許，他看到了像「狐狸」那樣會破壞他們愛情的提示，例如嫉妒、忿怒、欺騙或冷漠。他因喜愛新娘的美貌（14節），故無法容忍任何會造成危害的事物。對他來說，新娘非常珍貴，就像是「荊棘裡的百合花」（2節，和合本修訂版），因此他願意盡一切努力，守護他們的關係。

家人和朋友都是上帝賜給我們最寶貴的禮物。雖然有時要維繫這些關係並不容易，但只要我們付出耐心和關心，並且不讓「小狐狸」進行破壞，我們便可以相信上帝會在其中結出美麗的果實。

I was so excited to plant our backyard fruit and veggie garden. Then I started to notice small holes in the dirt. Before it had time to ripen, our first fruit mysteriously disappeared. One day I was dismayed to find our largest strawberry plant had been completely uprooted by a nesting rabbit and scorched to a crisp by the sun. I wished I’d paid closer attention to the warning signs!

The beautiful love poem in Song of Songs records a conversation between a young man and woman. While calling to his darling, the man sternly warned against animals who would tear apart the lovers’ garden, a metaphor for their relationship. “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards,” he said (Song of Songs 2:15). Perhaps he saw hints of “foxes” that could ruin their romance, like jealousy, anger, deceit, or apathy. Because he delighted in the beauty of his bride (v. 14), he wouldn’t tolerate the presence of anything unwholesome. She was as precious as “a lily among thorns” to him (v. 2). He was willing to put in the work to guard their relationship.

Some of God’s most precious gifts to us are family and friends, although those relationships aren’t always easy to maintain. With patience, care, and protection from “the little foxes,” we trust that God will grow beautiful fruit.