The Wisdom of Bambi

Disney has such insight! Bambi has always been one of my favorites, but until recently, I never saw the big "GOD'' message written all over it!

One of the best scenes (and the one to invoke the most emotion from ME), is the one where Bambi's mother introduces him to the meadow for the first time. She approaches cautiously, sniffing and testing the wind. She knows she needs to go there, but also is aware of the dangers.

In the meadow, we see the sweet, nourishing grass. There is wide open space for running. There are other deer in the meadow. The sun is shining, the breeze is blowing and Bambi wants to be there. Bambi NEEDS to be there. The meadow, for me, represents God's love. There are so many great and wonderful things to be found in that light. They are things I cannot do without in my life. I NEED to be fed. I NEED companionship with others of my kind (Christians). I NEED to exercise my faith in a space worthy of stretching my legs. I NEED the happiness and fulfillment I can find only in Christ.

As I run toward the meadow, I also have to realize there are dangers there. As a Christian, when I am wallowing in the light and grace of God, I will be more vulnerable to the attack of the hunter (Satan). I will be more visible. My actions can be observed more easily and closely. Eyes I cannot see will watch me. I cannot be unaware of these dangers and must guard myself against them. This is why Bambi's mother spent so much time researching the situation before entering. It is why she watched, and sniffed and used all of her senses.

Sometimes, even when we are careful, we cannot see all that will be there to prey on us. Like Bambi's mother, we are wounded as we run from our attackers. With each attack, we become more and more aware of what it takes to survive in the meadow. We are more able and capable to hand down that knowledge to those who would follow us. We use our experiences- both good and bad- to educate others who want to enter the meadow. In her death, she was teaching Bambi life lessons.

So find yourself a Bambi and impart on him the wisdom of your walks in the woods and your excursions into the meadow. Don't be afraid to find purpose in your wisdom and experience.

Hunger vs. Starvation

Well- I'm back. In reading some of my friend's blogs, I realized that I have been gone for far too long. So here is the latest, God -inspired revelation.

It all started this morning on the way to church. Once again, I hadn't prepared a Children's Message and I was operating on the faith that God would provide one. One mile from the church, I was still without inspiration, but I had a whiny son in the back seat who was complaining that he was hungry. I am not a breakfast eater, so I have tried to encourage my kids to take care of breakfast on their own. As one who possesses an eating disorder (or OVER eating disorder), I try to avoid food preparation whenever possible. I liken it to being an alcoholic bartender (buy the food, prepare the food, smell the food, clean up the food, but for Heaven's sake- don't EAT the food!).

SO- when Sawyer started complaining that he was hungry- I had no sympathy. He has been told time and time again to get up, get dressed, get breakfast, brush his teeth...you know the drill! He's almost seven. He's capable! How hard is a Pop Tart anyway! At the peak of the noise, I exclaimed, "NO ONE EVER DIED OF HUNGER!" This woke up my mental hamster and he started running on his little 'idea wheel' and I explored the differences between hunger and starvation, since I realize that you CAN actually starve to death.

Hunger is an emptiness. It is the lack of fulfillment. Physically, it can be satisfied with food. If we ignore hunger for too long, it can lead to starvation, but I stand by my original statement that no one ever died of hunger.

Hunger creates a desire to seek. It leads us to search and to find the things that we need. It puts us on alert so that we can meet the criteria for life.

Starvation, on the other hand, is the result of not satisfying our hunger. If we go long enough without food, without fulfillment, a part of us will die (or all of us, in the physical sense!)

Relate all of this to our spiritual self. When I am away from church and my church family and influence, I become hungry. I crave the companionship of fellow believers. I desire to be near them and influenced by them and feel a dissatisfaction. As with physical hunger, I feel 'out of sorts' when I'm spiritually hunger. As my Godly blood sugar drops, my world just doesn't seem right. I need to eat, be filled by the Spirit.

If I stay away too long, I feel like I may starve to death. My spirit begins to die.
As with physical hunger, we must put the right things in to truly satisfy our needs. If we fill ourselves with 'junk', it only creates a short term satisfaction and does not truly meet our needs. Sugar and sweets, though mentally satisfying, will not nourish us physically in the way that our body needs, just as the mere company of fellow Christians won't feed us spiritually if we do not spend our time appropriately.

So I challenge you to feed yourself today. Seek nourishment of your body and soul in a way that is pleasing to God. May you use 'hunger' to encourage you to seek and may it never lead to starvation.