Lesson of the hedge

     As I opened the window blinds in the bedroom, there she stood, munching away, trimming one of our hedges. I commented to my husband, “Yep! Must be getting to that part of the year! Mama Moose methodically continued chomping down her breakfast. Her yearling calf was on the other side of our house, directly beneath one of the kitchen windows, before joining mom for breakfast around our place. The two of them gave “Bed and Breakfast accommodations” a whole new meaning!
     In the last twenty-four hours we have had a huge temperature swing. It went from minus 24 to plus 34 degrees F. The warm-up, forecasted to stay in the teens to low thirties, is a welcome change from below zero temperatures as a high. I think the moose thought so, too, as they slowly meandered from one hedge to another.          We have been worried about the moose lately with the extreme cold weather (even by Alaska’s standards). Over a foot of snow covers the ground and snow/ice pack the main roadways. With limited hours of light (sunrise was at 10am and sunset at 4:30pm today – a gain of almost 5 minutes of light!) moose kill increases as they search for food. Searching on paths of least resistance, they tend to walk the railroad tracks or on the sides of snow-plowed roads and driveways, making them a hazard for cars, drivers and the moose. We don’t mind their trimming our hedges – it saves us the work come Spring, plus the pruning will bring out more prolific vegetation and greenery!
Watching Mama trim our hedge, it reminded me of one of my devotional readings this week. It was the lesson of “the hedge.” Often we think of a hedge as an object put up for protection - something to keep us away from harm, even if it has thorns or something sharp and is painful, when we lean up into/against the hedge’s foliage.  
     As I thought about it, while yes, a hedge is for protection, it can hurt or painful. Protection comes as we are ‘hedged in’ during various trials or tough times that we are facing. God and His garrisons and legions of angels encamp around us, 24/7, and uses protection THROUGH the trials, the thorny situations, to teach us patience, endurance, coping, even peace. And while we may feel the pain, God never lets us go through any more than we can handle.
     So will we allow God to put a hedge of protection around us, even though at times it might mean experiencing hurtful sorrow or pain?
     How can we not as He wore a crown of thorns for us?