And be kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32)

An old legend tells of a covey of quail that lived in a forest. They would have been happy except for their enemy, the quail catcher. He would imitate their call, and then when they gathered together, he would throw a net over them, stuff them into his hunting basket, and carry them off to market.

One wise quail said, “Brothers and sisters, I have a plan. When the fouler puts his net over us, we each should put our heads through a section of the net and flap our wings in unison. We can lift the net and fly away with it.” All were in agreement. The next day, they did just that, making a successful escape. After several days, the fowler’s wife asked him, “Where are the quail to take to market?” He replied, “The trouble is that all the birds work together and help one another escape.”

Awhile later, one quail began to fight with another. “I lifted all the weight on the net. You didn’t help at all!” he complained. The other quail became angry and before long, the entire covey was quarreling. The fouler saw his chance. He imitated the cry of the quail and cast his net over them. Preoccupied with the quarreling, they didn’t help one another and lift the net in flight.

If we concentrate on the faults of others, we lose sight of our togetherness and helpfulness, and that can be the undoing of all concerned.

Holy God of Justice and Love, guide us in our interactions with one another that we might uplift and help and keep us from the snare of the evil one that can happen when our focus is on the negative things!