“Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards…” Song of Solomon 2:15
Last Wednesday, a horde of mischievous, destructive gremlins showed up uninvited and went to work on the tech that supports my life.
The first shot across the bow?
My coffee maker refused to brew my morning lifeline.
Then came a text from UPS about a delivery delay.
Followed quickly by the realization that my Running The Play blog post email hadn’t been sent… and refused to be sent.
“Well, that’s fantastic.”
Just like those little foxes that can ruin a vineyard, it’s often the small things that can ruin a day—or even a week. They frustrate us, derail our momentum, and quietly chip away at our attitude.
And if I’m being honest… they got to me.
I felt a little like Sherlock Holmes declaring, “The game is afoot.” I’m usually pretty good at solving tech issues on my own. Around the house, I’ve even earned the nickname “tech support.”
But this gremlin wasn’t going away without a fight.
If you’re reading this as an email, then I have succeeded—at least for now—in taking ground from this invisible enemy. I can’t say exactly how or why it’s working again, but there’s something to be said for perseverance in the face of setbacks and resistance.
In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul the Apostle reminds us that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood.” He wasn’t talking about broken coffee makers or stubborn email platforms… but in the moment, it sure felt like someone didn’t want this message to reach your inbox.
Maybe the goal isn’t a gremlin-free life…
Maybe it’s learning to persevere, stay steady, and take ground anyway.
Run the play.
Persevere until you break through.
Finding Our Place in the Story
What small “foxes” or everyday frustrations are currently threatening to steal your focus, your joy, or your momentum—and what would it look like to take ground anyway?
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