Isaiah 14:23

“I will turn it into a place for hedgehogs,

I always love the nature I see just in my back garden. It fills me with joy when it is something I don’t see too often. Hedgehogs are a wonderful creature that move around at night. Unfortunately tonight one lonely hedgehog wondered into the pit that is in within my mud hut. It seemed healthy but just scared and unable to get out of the pit. A gentle lifting with a towel and it was placed in a safe place of the garden to carry on its journey.

Have you ever looked at the hedgehogs spines and wondered – what a wonderful design for defence. Apparently they have about 5000 spines that bend if pressured so as not to hurt or damage the spine ball. Even I took a towel to carefully pick this creature up to lift it to safety. I was thinking of trying not to scare him but also about not impaling my hands on the spikes. They are solitary and have weak eyesight but good smell.

How often are we lured into pits, into traps of comforts of the physical world?

Last night I went to bed early and I dreamt of many things. One of those things was a message that I needed to seek a balance, to seek to strengthen the Spirit.

Unlike the devils needles which attack us, the spines of a hedgehog are protective, and so is curling into a ball. Curling into a ball is a natural reaction when you are being beaten up, as I remember riding through some woods when I was young and being thrown down from my bike and then set upon by a gang. I didn’t attack back but just curled into a ball, they left after a few kicks and I appeared to be just bruised.

But the spines of a hedgehogs back could be likened to the prayers we say create this defence which perfectly works against the attacks of this world. Prayers help me to keep motivated and optimistic through the day.

Would the curling up be likened to withdrawing into our spiritual self to pray to God. To retreat to our closet to pray.

One thing is certain, I have lost count of the number of times I have found myself is a pit, either of worry or despair, only to find the very loving hands of God lifting me out to be on his path once again.

Hedgehog may you go your way,
eating grubs and filling your stay,
for winter approaches so you take care,
and find a safe haven of a leafy lair,

May we learn from your protective coat,
and turn to God to learn not to gloat,
to turn from our sin and look for help,
to find salvation for this wretched whelp. 

Amen