A female grizzly bear…
…can weigh somewhere between 290–440 lbs…
…can reach 198cm/6.50 ft in length…
…can clock between 48-60 km an hour in speed…
…have paws that are 10-12 “ long…
…have claws that can reach 6 “ in length…
…have a keen sense of smell that is 100,000 times stronger than a human…
…produce 1-4 young (commonly two) every other year…
…are very protective of their offspring…
…will attack ferociously if they think she or her cubs are threatened…
…are considered by some experts to be the most aggressive bear…
…are responsible for 70% of fatal injuries to humans…
And yet…
Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly.
Proverbs 17:12
Fool: a person who acts unwisely or imprudently
Imprudent: not showing care for the consequences of an action
Folly: lack of good sense; foolish
Foolish: the trait of acting stupidly or rash
Here I had been thinking about bears and how lucky they are that they get to hibernate in these -37 degree temperatures, and voila, I end up reading a passage about, wouldn’t you know it, a bear. Ha. God has a funny sense of humour…
I felt challenged this morning to be mindful of the company I keep – to pay attention to the people I surround myself with, the conversations I find myself in, the thoughts I allow to influence my decisions, and the “wisdom” I allow to be spoken into my life. If these situations, friendships, circumstances and conversations don’t point me closer to God (and vice versa), then I should go take a hike in the woods and find me some bears to hang out with. More importantly, am I good company?
