Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Barriers
* Scripture: Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you -- Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (from John 14:27., NKJV)

Talk about the need to play catch-up! There she stood, gazing over the two fences bordering the highway, ears erect, the distance between them rapidly increasing. The other deer had quickly cleared the fences, their white flag tails flashing in the morning light, and were already at the far side of the field. This one still stood, almost looking like one of those yard statues, but I wasn't about to move my car until she crossed the road. All at once, she ducked her head and went through a hole in the fence!
Once hesitant, she was now almost a blur of motion, racing after the others. I couldn't help but give a chuckle of surprise, because I fully expected her to do a follow the leader up OVER the fence.
I guess one lesson learned from this incident is to always expect the unexpected!
Deer are so plentiful in our area, and we have watched them so often, that we just normally expect them to jump fences. I counted as ten deer moved across our fields the previous evening. Up would flash their distinctive white tails, up and over the three or four fences they would go, then follow their well-worn trail into the creek bottoms where they spend their evenings.
My wife and I went out to feed our livestock one evening, and encountered two half-grown deer behind the barn. One was in the fenced lane, and panicked when we appeared. It charged the fence head-on, thrusting its head between the wires. Like a vertical trampoline, the fence bounced the deer back on its haunches. Again and again that deer charged the fence, until I became concerned that it would break its neck. We withdrew into the barn, and the pair slowly made their way along the fence. They must have finally remembered what mama had told them about fences, cleared them easily, and disappeared into the adjoining woods.
Sometimes we, too, panic when we see a barrier separating us from something we very deeply desire. Something blocking the way; a weight pulling us down. We stand, immobilized, anxious, watching our hopes dim in the distance.
When the deer in these illustrations finally realized that they had by nature the answer to the problem that confronted them, they did what God intended, and jumped those barriers!
What a panicky time when we see God seemingly fade into the distance. However, God intended by nature that we should desire Him, and come unto Him. Ask, and you will receive peace and comfort.
March 19, 2006

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com

Scripture: The Psalmist wrote, “As the deer pants for streams of water,so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”, Psalm 42:1-2a, NIV

Teaching has its joys. It is always a pleasure to see someone succeed, especially when they have taken a thought or premise, and moved to a higher level. Whether in the classroom, the home, or the workplace, we all have seen that moment when someone grasps the knowledge and masters the skill of a new (for them) achievement.
There is an expression, “Give him a fish, and he will eat for a day; Teach him to fish, and he will feed himself every day.” That is the ultimate test: when the student can use the information as a means to greater achievement.
For any teacher, there is no ‘high’ greater than working with someone who is ‘thirsty’ for knowledge. Those who seek answers. Someone who is passionate about learning.
Working with such persons, I am reminded of the sheep when we turn them into a new paddock (small patch of new grass.) They are eager to move on. All I have to do is open the gate, and they move in and go to work. I don’t have to cut the grass, or stuff it into their mouths. I don’t even have to lead them to each mouthful! I just have to open the gate.
So it is with good students. There is no need to chop up each bit and cram it into them. No pounding, no pushing, no pain. Just lay out the next bit of information; just open the gate.
Not all students are like that, however. Again, whether at school, in the home, or at the workplace, some resist any attempt to ‘feed’ them something new. They balk, they resist, nothing moves them. I will never forget a student in the first formal class I taught, who had resisted all efforts to get him to do the required work, didn’t turn in homework, and wouldn’t take notes. He came up to me in the middle of the semester exam, almost in tears, and said, “Mr. Hubbell, I flunk!”
The Psalmist spoke from the viewpoint of the successful student, in Psalm 42: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”
Take time to look at things from God’s perspective. He has given us all things; He has laid out all the universe in front of us. He will open the gates for us. All we have to do is ‘eat’ of His bounty, to ‘drink’ of His knowledge.
He has prepared teachers for us; prophets, preachers, and leaders. It is up to each of us to move forward, to learn, to “feed on His word.”
The Bible is full of stories as sad as that of my reluctant student.
No wonder Jesus looked out over Jerusalem, and wept.....
December 29, 2002

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com

Scripture: Paul wrote, “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. Titus 2:7,8 NIV

The deer were obviously not fully grown, although they no longer had the spots of fauns. My wife and I came upon them as we started back our lane to bring the lambs to the barn for their morning feed. One was in the paddock with the ram; the other was in the lane. When they saw us, about the time we saw them, both made a dash for the fence. Not over, as experienced adult deer would do, but straight at it, as if it didn’t exist! The results were predictable. They hit it hard enough that they rebounded back, falling in a tangle of legs on the ground.
The one in with the ram made a couple of tries at the 48 inch high fence, turned, went over the 32 inch fence, and disappeared into the woods.
The deer in the lane, a path between two 48 inch high fences, tried even harder. I was concerned that the poor thing would break its neck! It really smacked that fence! Over and over, working its way down the fence toward us; we were standing stock still, not wanting to spook it further. It came within about ten feet of me.
Finally, I suggested that if we moved slowly toward it, the deer might move on back through the lane. And it did, struggling, sticking its head through the fence, and smacking it as it went along. Reaching the area at the top of the hill, at a spot where the fence sagged a bit, it finally leaped over it, and went off through the trees.
You know, there was not a thing I could do to “talk” those deer over the fences. It would probably have been best if we turned and walked slowly away. I thought, “How like those deer many people are.”
We see people all the time caught up between the ‘fences’ of life, struggling, smacking the boundaries, and suffering because they don’t know how to escape the lifestyle they are in. It is often just as frustrating trying to help someone caught in life's “fast lane.” They want to be happier, to be less stressed out, to get new results from old customs; they don’t want advice or preaching from “holier-than-thou’s.”
If there had been an adult deer present, it would have been no problem. They have smacked the fences before. Now, they know how to get over that barrier. The young ones would only have had to follow, and freedom would quickly have been theirs as well.
It is important to be an example in life so that others can see that there is a way to escape the ‘fences’ of the world. Actions often speak much louder than words.
October 3, 2002