Musk oxen live in arctic or cold places which are very far north. Felix is a musk ox living with his family and other musk oxen in the Canadian Arctic. He was so cute when he was born. His father, Hubert, meaning "bright mind and intelligent," named him Felix which means "happy, lucky, and fortunate." Felix’s mother, Idette, meaning "work," loved the name and hoped he would grow up happy and fortunate.
Felix was happy in his early life. He was an obedient calf. He didn’t argue, and he wanted to please
his parents. He respected them for who they were and what they said. They told
him of the dangers and taught him what was good to eat and what could hurt him.
They retold stories of courageous musk oxen and times of famine and plenty. He loved to
hear the stories. He was proud to be one of the stout musk oxen.
Felix played and hung
out with the other calves. One of his favorite buddies was Lance. His name
means "territory land." Felix and Lance were very different. Lance didn’t like to
hear the stories told by the aged musk oxen. Lance thought they were boring stories. He also didn’t want to obey. He thought he should be able to make up his
own mind. He didn’t respect what the adults told him. He thought it was sensless to stand in a line when danger came. He wanted to eat when and what he wanted
to. Lance was not only disobedient, but he was disrespectful. When his mom told
him to do something, he made faces and ignored her or walked off. Even when one
of the older males told him what he needed to do, he just laughed and said, “I
don’t have to do anything you tell me to do. You think because you have been
doing something for centuries, it’s the best way. I think it’s foolish, and I
will do it better.”
Musk oxen live together
in groups for one particular reason. Do you know what that reason is? They do
it for protection. Arctic wolves and arctic foxes prey on the young, old, sick,
and weak. They also huddle together for warmth against the arctic blast of
wind. It is very cold where they live. When musk oxen are afraid, they form a
line facing the danger. In some cases, they form a circle facing out with the
young inside the circle. The enemy will think twice before attacking. A strike from a musk ox’s horn can maim or even kill a foe.
One day, the snow was falling slightly with just a touch of breeze. It was beautiful. The calves were playing, catching the snow on their tongues. Hubert said to the group of adults, “Be on guard, I saw an arctic fox on the nearby ridge. I almost didn't see him with his white fur against the grey sky. They think with the snow fall, they can sneak in and take down one of our calves.”
Lance said, “Felix, where are you
going?”
“I’m going to the
circle.” answered Felix.Lance said, “It’s silly to go into the circle behind all the adults. From there you can’t move or see what's going on. Let’s go over by the trees. You and I can take care of ourselves.”
Felix didn’t know what to do. Should he do what he knew he should and obey? Should he go with his friend where the fun is? Felix hesitated, debating with himself. He started toward Lance who was leaving. Then Felix glanced over his shoulder toward his mom. She was almost to the circle. He remembered how his mom loved him and wanted what was best for him. He remembered the times Lanced mouthed off to his mother and the look of hurt on her face.
What do you think Felix
did? Felix followed his mom. He got right behind her in the circle. She turned
and smiled and winked at him. It was like she knew how he had struggled and won
the battle inside himself. He was glad he obeyed.
Lance went over by the
trees expecting Felix to follow. He was mistaken.
An arctic fox snuck
upon the musk oxen. They stood their ground against the fox. The fox couldn’t
get to the calves so it attacked the smallest of the adults. It was a mistake.
The musk ox butted her head and flung the fox away. It got up, and out of the
corner of its eye saw one lone musk ox. With a mighty leap, it tore off after
Lance. Lance saw it coming and lowered his head. He thought he was big enough
to defend himself. Lance butted the fox, but it came again. Lance tried to
block it, but it grabbed a mouth full of his fur. The fox tried to pull Lance
over so it could go for his throat.
The group of musk oxen
saw the fox go after Lance. As one, they ran toward Lance. They didn’t break
formation. The one who was closest butted the fox. The fox lost his grasp on
Lance. Lance ran to the protection of the circle. He slipped in just as the fox lept toward him. One of the
musk oxen intercepted the fox, butting it and knocking it against a tree. Shaking
its head, the fox slowly got up and limped away. The impact with the tree had
injured its paw.
Lance was scratched and was missing some fur. He was shaking from fear and from the fight. He said, “Thank you for
saving me. I did a foolish thing. I should have listened to you and obeyed you.
I should have respected your wisdom. I’m sorry.”
The musk oxen forgave
him. Lance learned a life lesson. The older and wiser deserve respect. They do
things because they have learned it works. They tell the younger ones to do
things for their protection. They love and protect each other.
Boys and girls, we can
learn from this story. We can see that being disrespectful is wrong, and it can
lead to something bad. Doing what we want in our own way, is not what we should
do. God has put our parents and other adults in our lives for our protection.
They have learned what works best and what the dangers are. They shouldn’t have
to explain why we need to obey. We should obey because they are our elders. We
need to respect them. The Lord has told parents to train their children. Parents
who train their children are obeying the Lord. Remember to talk nicely to your
elders. Don’t make faces when they say things you don’t like to hear. Be
respectful to them.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, and
when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 29:17 Correct your son, and he will give you rest;
yes, he will give delight to your soul. 1 Peter 5:5a Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders... Exodus 20:12a Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long… Ephesians
6:1-2 Children, obey your parents in the
Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first
commandment with promise:
Memorize:
Verses in NKJV unless
otherwise stated.
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