April 1993
A RABBIT NAMED FUDGE
Once
there was
a rabbit named Fudge.
Now Fudge had a grudge. And he wouldn't
budge. Not Fudge!
It happened this way.
One beautiful Spring day the animals in the
forest were playing tag, and Fudge was "it". The other animals
scattered in all directions so it would be harder for Fudge to catch
them. So he started sneaking around to see if he could surprise
someone. After a little while, he saw his friend Stripey hiding
from him. Fudge crept up behind him, slapped him on the back, and
shouted, "Tag, you're it".
Now, Stripey was a skunk, and you know what
skunks do when they are frightened or threatened. That's what
Stripey did without thinking. He sprayed Fudge with that old
skunk odor we have all smelled. He didn't mean to. It just
happened.
Well, sir, Fudge decided Stripey did it on
purpose, and he got so mad he quit speaking to Stripey. And
Stripey got mad at Fudge. "After all," he said, "Everybody knows
how I am." So he wouldn't speak to Fudge.
Now, while they wouldn't talk to one another,
they talked to others about one another. "Fudge is so hardheaded
and high and mighty! Always wiggling his nose like everybody else
smells bad. But he's not so great." "That Stripey!
Did you ever notice how he prances around here showing off that long
tail of his? What's so great about a long tail? I think a
short, powder-puff tail looks much better." And on and on.
Fudge and Stripey were miserable, because they
used to be the best of friends, but now they didn't even speak.
The rest of the animals were unhappy too. If anyone played with
one of the two, the other one thought he was taking sides. And
that made matters worse.
Finally, things got so bad that the animals
held a meeting and asked Double O (OO), the wise old owl, to help
them. And he did. He got Fudge and Stripey together and
talked to them and helped them to understand that they were not really
enemies. After all, rabbits and skunks don't kill and eat one
another. They are just different. And sometimes folks who
are different misunderstand one another. And most importantly, he
helped them to understand that what's done is done, and can't be
changed. So Fudge and Stripey apologized to one another, and
became friends again. And everybody in the forest was very, very
glad.
Now I'm not sure what the moral of this story
is. Maybe it's that we shouldn't make a big stink about
things. Maybe it's that you shouldn't slap a skunk.
I guess I'll let you decide.
This article is a
gift to the body of Christ. Use it any way that will help people
and honor Him.