We were studying In our small group last week about forgiveness. One of the verses talks about living as much as it lies within you, live at peace with all men.
Well that’s a mouthful. I can live , not within me, at peace. I can look someone in the eye and smile and pretend. It what’s happening within me, that gets me riled up because they are my porcupine. We all have them in our lives. Some of us have more porcupines than others . I am notsure if a herd is applicable, but I seem to have more than my share.
Why is it so hard to hug a porcupine? Because they have quills. Porcupines are happy until threatened and they have quills for their protection. There are times that porcupines are not threatened but they have quills. It’s their second Nature .
So as much as it lies within me, even if my outside seems to be quite calm and serene, my inside needs to catch up. I have heard the saying , “never trust someone who says, “trust me”.” I heard that again on the way to church the other morning. I needed it before the end of the day. A porcupine was shooting quills and I wasn’t even the one it was shooting at nor was I anywhere near. Sometimes we get in the way of a porcupine simply because we are in life.
I didn’t sleep well that night, partially because of the disappointment the porcupine threw at people, and partly because I am still trying to figure out why God made porcupines and now I have to figure out why God made people who act like porcupines. I tend to just hide. I like to stay away from the line of fire and dig a hole. That’s probably not the best thing, just as the porcupine shooting at people isn’t the best thing either, but, we are both here and need to figure out how to keep from hurting others either by shooting or by avoiding.
So once again I go back to the verse, as much as it is within you, live at peace with all men. 
Special Touch Ministry 