The Good News | Weekly Devotion August 15, 2024
Oh, Deer—Part Two
Last week, I wrote an inspirational devotional article about a mama deer (doe) who tragically died on the back lawn of the church. (Click Here to Read It) My article described the heart wrenching scene of three fawns who were orphaned that morning. They were understandably confused by what happened as they wandered the neighborhood around the church for hours.
Pastors often have a knack for finding hope in hopeless situations. I was able to end the article on a positive note. A wildlife expert said that sometimes other does will adopt orphaned fawns and care for them. That helped me end the inspirational article in a typically positive devotional style. Humans could learn a lesson from adoptive mama deer. We ought to care for one another in a better way, the way a doe cares for a orphaned fawns. The word of God for the people of God…thanks be to God.
Part One of this story was good! Several people thanked me for my article. I patted myself on my back and slept well over the weekend. I was confident three fawns found another mother. Heck, my deer adoption anecdote was so good that maybe I’ll win a prize or be quoted someday in a sermon. My theological prowess and devotional writing skill may just land me a contract with a big publisher! Unfortunately, this deer story is now what I’ll call part one. I wish real life stayed truer to part one of my inspirational anecdote.
Two days ago, the preschool kids and adults reported smelling something dead near the playground. I hoped it was a rat in the bushes or a possum on the road. Unfortunately, it was one of the fawns in the forest. We found her body was just beyond the playground fence. The fawn kind of looked like she laid down and passed away. The gruesome but beautiful cycle of insects doing their part to return the body to the earth was well underway. Jen Buzbee and I buried her the best we could, not an easy job.
If all devotional articles and inspirational anecdotes had a part two, we might not be very inspired about life and faith in Christ. My orphaned fawn article turned out to be a funeral story. Healing stories we read about are great, but all healed people eventually die. For every close call where we feel God “had our back” there are a hundred more times we get stabbed in the back. Do not despair, I will continue to writing devotions and inspirational articles. We need Part One devotionals that point to faith in Christ and trust in the Holy Spirit. However, from time to time we ought to reflect on the role inspirational stories play in our faith. Devotional stories are not magic prescriptions that take away all the pain and suffering of life. Part One devotions peek into the perfection and beauty of eternity. Part Two of the devotions remind us that life is not pretty and sin and brokenness are still present.
The Gospel truth is that the Holy Spirit will be with us no matter how ugly or difficult our lives can be. God promises to be with us. You may remember that Saint Paul wrote about a similar hope and trust he had in God in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Enjoy Part One of the devotions you read, acknowledge there’s a Part Two that’s often not too pretty. Trust that Christ is in all of it.
Peace,
zack@madisonfumc.com
