🎵Aesop’s Fables Month: The Four Oxen and the Lion 🐂🦁
by Crystal A Murray (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
Patriotic Unity from a Devastating Attack
Twenty-five years ago, it wasn’t called “Patriot’s Day.” It was just another day on the calendar in a time when summer was ending and the cooling of autumn was on the way. I was at home taking a solitaire break from my tech school homework, so I didn’t have the TV on. My brother-in-law called from Texas to ask if I knew what was happening and where his brother was at. He was frantic, and I could barely make out something about the Pentagon (I think he said it was bombed) through his tearful voice. When I finally figured out what he said and everything that had just happened, my fears began to bubble up to overflowing. See, both my hubby and his brother were soldiers, so attacks on US soil were acts of war that could mean they’d be called to active fighting zones.
Hubby called from the base when he could and told me to cancel any upcoming medical appointments if they weren’t urgent because gates were going into hard lockdowns. The days were surreal as I heard stories of stranded travelers, and I didn’t hear the noises of overhead aircraft that were normal with a house near an airport. My night classes were unusually still and quiet as people tried to figure out how to talk about the attacks and what it meant for our future.
I don’t recall exactly how long we lived with baited breath, but everything changed with the events on September 11th, 2001, and I don’t believe they have ever gone back fully to what they were before that.
But some good changes came to pass in the aftermath. Mainly, patriotism got a wakeup call. People who were occupied by the division being sown by recent demands for political correctness in the months before 9/11 now became focused on what it meant to unify our country instead. We began to look at news from around the world instead of only in our small worlds because we didn’t want to be surprised like that again. People were ready to fight for the USA and against anyone who declared themselves enemies far more than they were with the first attack eight years earlier when terrorists bombed the World Trade Center in 1993. And though the unity did not last in everyone, it definitely became stronger than before. Most don’t want to see us going to war, but they’d still be comforted to know we have patriots who love our country with enough passion to fight for it.
The Classic Fable Retold—In 3 Parts
Recorded in ancient collections as Perry Index No. 372, this timeless fable illustrates the foundational truth behind an enduring American rallying cry: United we stand, divided we fall.
Part 1: The Circle of Defense
In a lush, sun-drenched pasture, four oxen graze in unbroken fellowship. From the edge of the distant timberline, a lean, famished lion watches their every move, desperate for an opening. Yet whenever the predator creeps forward, the four companions move as one. Standing rump-to-rump in a tight, impenetrable ring, they lower their massive heads and present an unbroken wall of outward-facing horns to the wilderness. Starving and frustrated, the prowling beast dares not strike, knowing a frontal charge against such unified strength means certain defeat.
Part 2: The Whispered Discord
Realizing brute force cannot pierce their fellowship, the cunning lion abandons direct assault for subtle treachery. Lingering just out of reach, he begins sowing quiet suspicion and jealousy among the herd. He whispers deceit into the ear of one that the others take the finest grass, while feeding pride in another that his companions take his strength for granted. Soon, distrust festers. The defensive ring dissolves as bitter arguments flare, and each proud ox turns his back on his brothers to graze alone in an isolated corner of the field.
Part 3: The Fallen Solitude
With their mutual defense shattered, the lion’s hour arrives. Slinking across the pasture without fear, the beast hunts them down one by one. Trapped against the rocky outcrops with no brothers to guard their flanks and no outward-facing horns to unite against the common foe, every solitary beast is easily overwhelmed. The pasture that once flourished under mutual protection falls silent in the dust of defeat.
The Spiritual Blueprint of Unity
The tragedy in the pasture mirrors the spiritual battles we navigate every day—both as a nation and within the household of faith. Scripture lays out an unmistakable three-part arc regarding the strength, preservation, and vulnerability of our fellowship:
1. The Sacred Design: The Beauty of the Circle
“1Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!”
— Psalm 133:1 (B.S.B.)
God never designed us to face the wilderness alone. True community is not merely pleasant; it is our primary earthly defense against destruction.
When we stand shoulder-to-shoulder, guarding one another’s blind spots and pooling our strength, an outward enemy has no point of entry. In the wake of national tragedy twenty-five years ago, we need the raw power of this circle, letting petty squabbles vanish as we lock arms beneath one flag. In the church, we must also lock arms beneath the banner of God’s Holy Word—the whole Word applied as written.
2. The Daily Practice: Guarding Against the Whisper
“8Finally, all of you, be like-minded, sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.”
— 1 Peter 3:8 (B.S.B.)
An impenetrable defense cannot be taken by an external strike; it can only be betrayed from within. Knowing this, Peter urges believers to maintain the exact heart posture required to resist division.
The lion broke the oxen not with claws, but with whispers that stoked self-importance and suspicion. Humility, sympathy, and tenderhearted compassion are the spiritual armor that keeps our circle intact. The moment we prioritize being “right” or nurse personal grudges, we open the gate to discord.
3. The Sober Warning: The Prowling Predator
“8Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”
— 1 Peter 5:8 (B.S.B.)
When pride separates us from fellowship and unity of purpose, we become prime targets for the enemy.
The adversary rarely assaults a united body; he waits patiently in the shadows for someone to wander off alone. Isolation is the predator’s hunting ground. As we honor the memory of that fateful September morning and the resilience that rose from its ashes, let us remember that our greatest strength lies in refusing the whispers of division. Let us be found standing firm, vigilant, and undivided in faith and love.
Where Were You?
In the days following September 11th, our nation was bound together by shared grief, profound quiet, and a sudden clarity about what truly mattered. Alan Jackson captured that universal stillness and the enduring power of faith, hope, and love with his poignant anthem, “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)”:
Share this post on:
My Latest Flickr Photos
Others’ Posts I’ve Liked
Crystal Writes A Blog 