On a cool December morning, I followed a trail down the creek bank. Leaves that had let go for the season covered the ground but their absence from the branches made visibility through the trees much better than usual.
Truly I don’t like to walk this path too often. Between snakes and the twelve-foot alligator that calls this place home, my feet rarely touch this swampy ground.
Something about the mist on the creek that morning was like a spiritual beckoning to me. So I went.
The early morning sun sparkled within the mist and, in a few places, broke through to dance on the dark water. The crunching of the leaves and the distraction of turkey buzzards headed out for the day unnerved me just a bit.
I felt something watching me. Just in front of me on my right was a doe. Her ears alert and her eyes on me as we both stood completely motionless. Both of us were afraid to move at all.
Our eyes locked for what seemed like hours, but I am sure it was a matter of seconds. Sunlight glistening behind her, the sounds of a world waking up swirling around us both… A nod of the head, and she was gone.
Sometimes in life I think we can get distracted in the wilderness. All of the things that cause us fear and hold us in place, keep us from experiencing life and God with us here and now.
Surprises, no matter how wonderful, can cause us to freeze in place. With no desire to move forward or back down the path we came, we become like a deer blinded by a car’s headlights. Do we run forward to the unknown? Do we backtrack to the familiar? Or do we brace for the impact of whatever is headed right for us?
Let’s make this the year we begin to follow those beckoning calls on our hearts. We won’t think about theoretical snakes or gators that may or may not emerge, we will just learn to move when the almost indescribable urge to follow takes hold.
We can learn to be still and connect with God in ways that allow our hearts to recognize his call. We can seek wisdom to distinguish his beckoning from the misleading tugs of this world.
Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
Kim Rice Smith
NCCUMC Sound District