“Caught in A Trap” by Doug Fincher

For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men.” Jeremiah 5:26

June 27, 2022 - When my brothers and I were growing up in Center, Texas, we discovered a little stretch of woods just out of the City Limits that was our closest place to hunt squirrels. The woods were so close to our house in East Center that we had time for a quick evening hunt after we got home from school.

After school one day, I grabbed my shotgun and hurried down to “the squirrel woods.” Just as I entered the woods, I heard the screaming cry of a dog coming from the dried-up creek bed. I ran down the creek and found a young beagle hound struggling in the jaws of a steel trap. When I saw his horribly injured front leg, I reached down to take the tension off the trap, the dog continued crying and snapping at my hand. After being bitten several times, I found a nearby limb that I carefully pressed the trap’s spring and… VIOLA!!!... the puppy sprang from the trap at full speed and quickly disappeared over the hillside. And as he ran off, I felt almost as happy as he did.

There are millions of people the world over that are crying in pain for the same reason that this little beagle did… their painful cries might not be their fault… they may have stepped in one of the world’s steel traps and can find no way out.

But if we aren’t afraid of getting bit… and show a little patience and understanding… we might be just the person to get the trap jaws open for someone… and if we do, they won’t just run off over the hill, but will hug and thank us… and when they do…

… we’ll be just as happy as they are.