Mama Deer

 "It's impossible not to find something likeable in everyone if we get to know them deeply." (Maybe You Should Talk to Someone)

One morning on my walk last week a mother deer and her two babies walked right in front of me.

She paused for a moment and looked at me. I'm sure wondering - "Are you a threat to my babies?"

I stopped and remained still and waited for her to run them across the street and into the woods.

Safe.

It's not unheard of for me to see deer in my neighborhood but it's also not a daily, nor even weekly or monthly occurrence.

I always consider it my "God wink" - my "I see you needing a reminder that my creation is good."

I'm going to confess.......scrolling news updates does not give me the impression that "good" is what surrounds me.

I've been unable to write for a while because I'm wrestling with how we speak about people and treat people as a country.

I'm a Mama Deer trying to figure out how to get babies safely to the other side of whatever this is.

And trying to discern who is safe and who is most definitely not.

I'm trying to determine how we do life together in our community when we disagree on the very dignity of human life.

Amidst putting people in inhumane conditions in cages and joking about them being eaten by alligators.........I'm trying to figure out how we do that in the name of Jesus.

Amidst name calling and ridiculing from our leaders...........I'm trying to figure out how we do that while encouraging people to share the name of Jesus but not respect other's religious rights.

I'm trying to remind myself that these kinds of decisions are done out of fear.

The same kind of fear that nailed Jesus to the cross.

Fear of progress. Fear of change. Fear of radical love.

In contrast to the loud clanging, name calling, inhumane treatment of people........Jesus rode quietly in on a donkey.

I'm finding that my job is to wave the palm branches.

And surround myself, and my kid, with people who are waving the palm branches.

To see the good. To name the good.

Mama Warriors, as the quote says above I do think we can find something likeable in everyone if we get to know each other deeply.

But I also think that likeable thing may be something that isn't significant enough to hold a relationship.

And it's okay to let that go.

Kindly and respectfully.

We can be a Mama Deer for ourselves and our kids and discern who is safe and who isn't.

You can't tell your kid to be kind to the new kid at lunch but it's also okay to speak terribly about people who vote differently than you do.

Those values contradict each other.

And they'll know it.

We've got to be a community where the baby deer can cross the street.

Otherwise there is no growth.

And growth is inevitable.

"It's impossible not to find something likeable in everyone if we get to know them deeply." (Maybe You Should Talk to Someone)

One morning on my walk last week a mother deer and her two babies walked right in front of me.

She paused for a moment and looked at me. I'm sure wondering - "Are you a threat to my babies?"

I stopped and remained still and waited for her to run them across the street and into the woods.

Safe.

It's not unheard of for me to see deer in my neighborhood but it's also not a daily, nor even weekly or monthly occurrence.

I always consider it my "God wink" - my "I see you needing a reminder that my creation is good."

I'm going to confess.......scrolling news updates does not give me the impression that "good" is what surrounds me.

I've been unable to write for a while because I'm wrestling with how we speak about people and treat people as a country.

I'm a Mama Deer trying to figure out how to get babies safely to the other side of whatever this is.

And trying to discern who is safe and who is most definitely not.

I'm trying to determine how we do life together in our community when we disagree on the very dignity of human life.

Amidst putting people in inhumane conditions in cages and joking about them being eaten by alligators.........I'm trying to figure out how we do that in the name of Jesus.

Amidst name calling and ridiculing from our leaders...........I'm trying to figure out how we do that while encouraging people to share the name of Jesus but not respect other's religious rights.

I'm trying to remind myself that these kinds of decisions are done out of fear.

The same kind of fear that nailed Jesus to the cross.

Fear of progress. Fear of change. Fear of radical love.

In contrast to the loud clanging, name calling, inhumane treatment of people........Jesus rode quietly in on a donkey.

I'm finding that my job is to wave the palm branches.

And surround myself, and my kid, with people who are waving the palm branches.

To see the good. To name the good.

Mama Warriors, as the quote says above I do think we can find something likeable in everyone if we get to know each other deeply.

But I also think that likeable thing may be something that isn't significant enough to hold a relationship.

And it's okay to let that go.

Kindly and respectfully.

We can be a Mama Deer for ourselves and our kids and discern who is safe and who isn't.

You can't tell your kid to be kind to the new kid at lunch but it's also okay to speak terribly about people who vote differently than you do.

Those values contradict each other.

And they'll know it.

We've got to be a community where the baby deer can cross the street.

Otherwise there is no growth.

And growth is inevitable.