Thought For Today

I am so glad that you have found this site and I hope you will find encouragement and joy as you read through my thoughts on God, family and life.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Hunted and Downcast


Escaping!

Yesterday our family saw about 18 wild turkeys running for their lives near the edge of the forest.  A coyote was chasing them and trying to make at least one of them his lunch.  Fortunately for the turkeys, he was not successful.  They flew into the trees and waited for about one half hour before lighting back to the ground again.  No sooner when reaching their food, a couple of deer ran right into the flock of feeding turkeys; the deer were running for their lives, heading deeper into the forest.  It appears that the coyote, and perhaps his pack, were now hunting larger game.  This time of year (I call it the starving time) the deer are in a vulnerable position, that of being prey for predatory animals such as the wolf and coyote.  They are weak and cannot move very quickly over any length of distance.  When being chased, the weak in the group soon tire and are separated from the herd; this makes them easy prey for a hungry pack of coyotes.  Heavy snow covers the ground this time of the year and the deer’s food source is too deep for them to dig free enough to eat. 

In spite of seeing this struggle for life taking place in our meadow, it was a wondrous sight watching the wildlife at our doorstep.  In retrospect, as I looked out at the scenes unfolding before me in the animals struggle for life, I now think of how similar it is for us at times.  We rush to and fro trying sometimes desperately to scratch a living for our families and ourselves, only to find that some predator in our field of work has caused us great harm.  We get discouraged and feel like chucking it all in.  “What am I doing, trying my best when someone who does not deserve the rewards heaped on them, is getting what we worked so hard to earn?” 

Flight to safety.
The other day I was discouraged over the heavy financial burden we faced this year.  I became down trodden thinking about how much we paid in taxes, as well as the amount left to pay.  Anne arrived home and sat down next to me and she noticed I was down.  After I shared with her the reasons for me being unhappy, she looked at me and smiled.  “Augie, I felt as you do now, but then I started thinking about how God has blessed us with healthy children, a wonderful home and steady employment.  I realized that he is taking care of us and he still will tomorrow and the day after.”  This made me take stock over how God has indeed blessed us with so much, and how he will the next day and all the days that follow.  My eyes then went from looking at the ground, to praising God quietly in my heart. 

In Mathew 6:25, Jesus talks with his disciples about the need to not worry about anything.  He goes on to tell his disciples that God will take of each one of you.  He uses the analogy of sparrows of the field that do not plant or gather their crops.  He says that God even takes care of these little animals, and he will take care of each of them as well.  This reminds me that God is taking care of my family and myself.  I have nothing to worry about.  Just as I walk my son across a busy intersection by holding on to his hand, God does so with me.  My son is not watchful of danger because he knows that his daddy is looking out for him, and my son knows that I will not let anything happen to him.  Will doesn’t have to see his destination, only I have to.  He trusts me to get him there without having to panic or be filled with fear.  So it is with God, he holds our hand and helps us through our busy streets until we reach the other side.