Articles
Raccoon vs Buck Deer
R E F L E C T I O N S
Thoughts on nature and the Christian faith
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"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am
your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will
uphold you with my righteous right hand." - Isa. 41:10
I spread corn in the woods behind my house for the deer, but on this occasion I saw that a raccoon found the corn first. It is unusual to see raccoons during the daylight hours, so I watched as he fed on the corn he found as he searched among the fallen leaves. And then a young buck appeared. The buck marched straight toward the feeding raccoon trying, I suppose, to run him off so he could feed. But the raccoon would have none of it. He arched his back and growled at the buck. It was quite a stand off. Even though he was clearly the weakest and the smallest, this raccoon was not afraid in the least. And then, surprisingly to me, the buck left. Incredible inner strength can sometimes come in small packages. What courage in the face of overwhelming odds! The more I thought about what I had just witnessed, the more I became ashamed of myself. I let things worry me that someone who professes a trust in God should never fear. God has promised me his help and protection, and then I behave as if everything was up to me. There is no nice way to put it, this is fundamentally a lack of faith on my part. I worry over my family. I worry over finances. I worry over the state of the church and the direction of the world. I worry over the fact that I worry. There is only one thing I have found that will rescue me from these fits of depression, and that is a return to the beauty of the gospel. When I take my mind off myself and meditate on the truth of the gospel, things come back in focus. He will help. He will strengthen. He will also at times send a reminder. On this day, He sent a raccoon. - John
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