Aesop’s Fables Month: The Fox with no Tail 🦊
It’s been said that misery loves company. That’s likely why so many good kids end up hanging with bad groups. As a 7th grader in a new school and a ward of the court, it didn’t take long for kids who sat on the far edge of the school yard to invite me to join them. It’s like I had a sign advertising me as a struggling kid that didn’t fit in. And when someone pulled out a cigarette and I said I’d never smoked, it was a mixed chorus of calling me a narc or telling me that I could learn. Sadly, I chose the learning and it stayed with me for seven years.
But, thankfully, that’s not the end of the story. I quit smoking before I turned twenty because of giving my life to Christ. Maybe the fox in our fable tonight eventually let go of his shame so he could find better friends as well.
The Classic Fable Retold: The Fox Without a Tail (Perry 18)
A fox managed to slip into a trap, and though he managed to wrench himself free, he left his long brush tail caught securely behind him. Realizing how ridiculous and shamed he would look to the rest of the pack, he decided the only way to endure his misfortune was to make everyone else share it.
He called a general meeting of all the foxes, stood before them proudly, and urged them all to cut off their tails voluntarily. He argued that tails were not only ugly and burdensome, but utterly pointless—little more than unclean weights dragging them down.
One older, wiser fox stepped forward and laughed, saying, “My friend, you would not be urging us to part with our tails today if you hadn’t unhappily lost your own.” The rest of the pack turned on him with jeers and laughter, leaving him isolated in his clever scheme.
The Trap of Conformity and Compromise
There is a profound human tendency to drag others down into our own compromises. When we carry a wound, a regret, or a habit we are ashamed of, it is far more comfortable to normalize it than to face it honestly. We want others to join our club so we no longer feel alone in our flaws.
Scripture warns us repeatedly about the danger of letting the broken culture around us dictate our standards:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
— Romans 12:2 (B.S.B.)
Peer pressure often comes cloaked in the language of freedom—telling us that holding onto our values is old-fashioned, restrictive, or “uncool,” just like the fox trying to convince his peers that tails were a burden. But the reality is that compromise only binds us deeper into someone else’s trap.
Finding True Freedom
True freedom isn’t found by cutting off what makes us whole or lowering our standards to match a broken crowd. It is found in grace. When we surrender our struggles and past to Christ, we don’t have to hide behind manufactured flaws or pull others down into the dirt with us.
May we have the courage to walk away from the edges of the school yard when the crowd calls for compromise, and look instead to the One who heals our wounds rather than hiding them!
Share this post on:
Beyond the Mirror (a scrolling poem)
Many years ago, I was on the phone with my sister, and she was heartbroken by the changes she saw in some of the young girls in her church. Puberty had taken hold of what used to be innocent little darlings in her Sunday School class, and pride seemed to be growing faster than their maturity. All that mattered was how they looked, who liked them (in their peer groups), and what was happening next in their busy calendars. They had become too busy and self-focused to even think about God or the lessons they were once taught.
I told her it was normal, and it didn’t mean she wasn’t a good teacher or that she had dropped the ball. It was part of learning how to let go of the apron strings and reach for the future. But, having once been teenage girls ourselves, we both knew what was happening and that it could be a dangerous time when peer pressure could lead to bad decisions that could negatively affect those futures.
As much as we want to prevent it for others, most of the time, people (especially teen people 😏) must learn on their own, and sometimes by hard lessons. But we can continue to shine a light of truth around them, so they’ll know where to look when they are confused or feel beat up by unreal expectations. In that vein, I put this poem together, and I love how it came out. It was also one of my first times using PowerPoint, so with days of trial and error, I finally created a video of the slideshow to present it. A wonderful Creative Commons soundtrack made it perfect. Enjoy the video, and/or read the words below. If you know a teen or young woman that can be inspired, please share it. And now….
Beyond the Mirror
Mirror, oh Mirror,
please tell me what you see.
Am I beautiful?
Do I need more makeup?
Am I the prettiest and best,
with shining eyes
for the whole world to see?
I want to be special.
I NEED to be special!
What are my gifts?
Can I sing? Dance?
Who am I,
and what can I do
to be wonderful
on this earth?
Oh, Mirror...
Please tell me.
~~~~~~~~
What? Look in my pocket?
Ooh, a bunch of smiles.
Thank you.
They'll be perfect
for more selfies!
Um, tissue. Why tissue?
I'm not sad.
Am I getting sick?
Hold on... What is this?
Bread?
Why do I have bread
in my pockets?
Wait! Why are my arms
suddenly looking
so muscular?
And my shoulders...
they're, they're getting
so... so wide.
Why?
What's happening to me?
This isn't what I asked for.
Mirror! Wait, Mirror...
Where are you going? Mir...
~~~~~~~~
Oh, hello, sad little girl.
I didn't see you before.
Would you like a smile?
Oh, she took it,
and ran away with it.
Oh my, where did all these
sad people come from?
Here, you can have a smile, too.
And so can you, yes.
A tissue? Of course.
Wow, I've used up
all my smiles.
Oh, no,
I see another sad child.
What do I do?
Wait,
would you like some bread?
It worked!
He was just hungry.
~~~~~~~~
Why are you crying, lady?
My shoulder?
A hug?
Sure, you can have those.
Can I help you
carry that burden,
you ask?
Yes, actually I can.
Wow, that was easier
than I thought it would be.
We worked well together.
~~~~~~~~
Whew,
that was a busy day.
I'm getting tired,
but it's not a bad tired.
It's...oh, hello, Mirror.
Where have you been?
One more smile, you say?
Oh, yes,
that looks much better on me
than more makeup.
Thank you.
I see the real beauty now.
It was always there, huh?
I just needed to look...
Beyond the mirror.
Share this post on:
My Latest Flickr Photos
Others’ Posts I’ve Liked
