Can a Skunk Change Its Stripes?

Read: Jeremiah 13:23; Acts 9:1-30

I always enjoy hearing an animal analogy that conveys a biblical truth. This week, I heard the story of a skunk that was lying dead by the side of the road. He had evidently been there for some time because he had decayed quite a bit, and out of him, the chute of a little tree was growing. Life emerging from what would otherwise be useless. That's very encouraging, because it is true that God can surprise us with His joy and beauty in places where we would least expect to find them. However, if I may, I'd like to start with that skunk picture and build another layer on it. Let's look at something that is not only surprising but impossible but for the work of Almighty God.

Picture Mr. Skunk there by the side of the road with the little chute growing out of him. We drive by and take note of him, but we don't drive by again for several days.

What do we see this time? Could that be Mr. Skunk? His stripes are gone, and not only that, he is no longer dead! What is that he is doing? He is telling other skunks what happened to him. He is a new skunk, and he doesn't even spray bad smelling stuff now; instead, he sprays Chanel No. 5. Talk about a change! Too bad something like that could never happen, or could it? Doesn't the Bible say that the leopard can't change his spots, Jeremiah 13:23, and that's surely true. The leopard can't make himself "spotless" any more than the skunk can make himself "stripeless." But God! He is the One Who can make a man spotless, Romans 4:7-8. Let's look at an example and see only one of the times when God made a man alive who had been dead in his sin, Ephesians 2:1-5. A time when a man's goals and plans were turned completely upside down.

When we meet Saul in Acts 9, he was breathing out murderous threats against those who love Jesus. He was planning to arrest more believers and even had papers at the ready to accomplish this goal. In fact, he was on his way to carry out that plan. That was, until he had an encounter with the Risen Lord. That was when everything changed in Saul's life. Even though his eyes were blinded, Jesus opened his spiritual eyes and made Himself and His plan known to this man who had been headed in the wrong direction. After that, Saul's desires no longer centered around harming believers; instead, he began to tell others all about Messiah and Who he was. The Promised One Who had been foretold in the scriptures. Instead of spewing out threats, Saul became a man who loved to tell about the grace that Jesus had poured into his life, 1 Timothy 1:12-17. Changes more wondrous than a leopard changing his spots!

How about a story from the here and now that displays that same picture of God's power to make people new. All praise to the One Who has not stopped calling people out of darkness and into His marvelous light, Colossians 1:13-14.

How a Blind Child Opened Doors No One Else Could

WRITTEN BY CALL OF HOPE  DEC 9 

In Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, where hardship, poverty, and conflict shape daily life, God is doing something remarkable through the lives of blind and disabled children. Most of the little ones we serve at Call of Hope come from strictly Muslim families. Many have never heard the name of Jesus spoken with love. Yet in our Center for the Blind and Disabled, these children encounter not only care, education, and dignity—but also the life-changing message of the Gospel. One of these children is six-year-old Abdul Noor. Abdul was born without eyes. His parents fled Syria seeking safety, only to find themselves trapped in deeper poverty and uncertainty. But God had a plan for this little boy—one that would reach far beyond anything we imagined.

An Unexpected Visit to a Hezbollah School. One day, our team set out to visit a Hezbollah-run school in the Bekaa Valley. Hundreds of refugee children studied there, and we hoped to bring them freshly baked bread from our Bread of Life bakery—a simple act of kindness, accompanied by Christian literature that shares God’s love through carefully chosen Scripture verses. But as we approached the school, two armed Hezbollah fighters stepped in front of us, rifles raised. “Stop! What do you want here?” they barked. “You are not allowed inside.” Their tone was sharp, and their message unmistakable. There was no welcome for us in this place. Yet standing quietly beside me was little Abdul, holding a basket overflowing with warm, fragrant bread. I lifted the basket gently and said, “Please, look at this child. He and the other children only want to do something good—to share this bread with the students in your school. Will you not allow these blind children to help others?” Something changed in that moment. Only then did the soldiers really see the children. Their stern expressions softened. Perhaps they were unprepared to encounter blindness so closely—or to witness such kindness from those who had nothing to give except love.

One of the fighters spoke quietly. “The children may go in,” he said. “And you may go with them.” With gratitude in our hearts, we entered the school—carrying not only bread, but the light of Christ into a place we could never have entered on our own. Bread and the Word of God. Inside, the refugee children gathered eagerly. Abdul and the other blind children shyly offered the bread, and soon the atmosphere shifted from tension to warmth. The teachers, hardened by years of war and scarcity, accepted the bread with gratitude. In each bag of bread, we placed a small booklet—25 Bible verses filled with hope, truth, and comfort, along with an invitation to our Bible studies. That day, many who received the bread also received God’s Word.

We later learned that several teachers read the verses aloud to their classes. Children began asking questions about Jesus—questions they had never dared to ask before. The Holy Spirit was at work. God Opens Doors Through the Weak and Small! As we walked back toward our vehicle, I thanked God. It wasn’t our strength or strategy that opened the door that day. It was a blind six-year-old boy, carrying bread with a pure heart. God loves to use those the world overlooks to accomplish His purposes. “God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” — 1 Corinthians 1:27 Through Abdul and the other children, the Gospel entered a place guarded by weapons and fear—a place where no missionary could walk freely. But a child could. A blind child whom Jesus loves dearly.  Please pray that God continues to open doors through these little ones. Pray that the seeds planted through bread, Scripture, and love will take root in the hearts of teachers, students, and even Hezbollah members who unknowingly received the Bread of Life that day. And as you read Abdul’s story, remember: God is still opening impossible doors—one loaf at a time, one child at a time.