Particular Buck

Articles

John Miller
11/20/23 - Windstream Mail

R E F L E C T I O N S

Thoughts on nature and the Christian faith

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And amazement seized them all, and they glorified

God and were filled with awe. - Lk. 5:26

It's interesting to me to see how different people react with different emotions to different animals. Some people are are drawn to a particular animal that another person would be ambivalent to or even repulsed by. I am drawn to deer. I never tire of watching them. Fawns make me smile at their cuteness while mature bucks fill me with awe. This particular buck visited our property in search of receptive does during the rut. He exuded such majesty that I couldn't help but stare in amazement. To someone else, he might have warranted only a passing glance but to me just the sight of him made my day. Different strokes for different folks I guess. This encounter made me think about our reaction to God himself. To some he is just a word to be used in cursing. To another he causes no reaction at all since he is regarded as only a myth. Some see him as a kindly benefactor that grants our selfish wishes and delivers us from all our troubles. And all too many use him as a validation of their political or religious views. We all tend to see him as an extension of ourselves. But God is wholly other than us. He is altogether holy and we are not. It is striking to read of the reaction of people in the Bible who have had an encounter with God. They fell to their knees. They confessed their sinfulness or dared not even open their mouths. They acted like what they were, creatures brought before their Creator. Scripture tells us that when Jesus returns and we see him every knee will bow. We all will be filled with awe, perhaps for the very first time. I think that is something of what I feel when I see his creation in nature. I am brought by art into the presence of the Artist. And that is what this buck did for me. - John

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