Giants, Foxes, Wolves, and Flies

Managing Life's Meta-4s

This article is a tool to explore four common areas of struggle and growth for mission personnel. These four areas are described as Biblical metaphors representing the challenges that we often experience as we try to serve God and humanity in our daily lives as well as in new ways or unfamiliar places. The article was written by Dr. Kelly and Dr. Michele O'Donnell, based on their international experience in the member care field as psychologists. The material can be used by individuals, couples, and teams for personal reflection and discussion. It is available in five languages, with links below.

Giants seek to disable us by exploiting our vulnerabilities (2 Samuel 21:15-22).

Foxes try to distract us and cause us to drift off our primary tasks (Song of Solomon 2:15).

Wolves endeavor to distress us with high stress and unbalanced lives (Matthew 10:16).

Flies purpose to disgrace us by the contaminating effects of sin (Ecclesiastes 10:1).

All four of these creatures, individually and collectively, seek to sift us like wheat, and ultimately disable our life and work. Let's take a closer look at these creatures and explore some ways to deal with them.

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Arabic article:الفصل الثالث والعشرون.pdf

Chinese article, simplified: 巨人、狐狸、狼和苍蝇：帮助我们自己和别人.pdf

English article: Giants Foxes Wolves and Flies.pdf

Korean article: 거인, 여우, 늑대, 그리고 파리.pdf

Spanish article: Zorras Gigantes Lobos y Moscas.pdf

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Notes: 

1. See also the helpful assessment tools listed/linked in the Getting Equipped section on the Member Care Associates website, such as the CHOPS Inventory (struggles, successes, and strategies for adjustment). 

2. This article has a bit of history behind it. The first version was published in a special member care issue of the International Journal of Frontier Missions (1995, vol. 12, pp. 185-188). The initial article was later expanded and published as four short articles in the journal Reaching Children at Risk (1998, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 28-29; no. 2, pp. 6-10; no. 3, pp. 11-14; and 1999, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 26-29). The latest version was published in 2002 in Doing Member Care Well by William Carey Library.