Last week I told you about the little fawn that got left behind from the rest of the family, and how she/he just stood there so bewildered, not knowing what to do or where to go. I felt so sorry for the little fella/girl...but had to leave it alone so that hopefully it would be reconnected with the family group when I was clearly out of the way. I hadn't really seen the deer since last Friday, so I wasn't too sure what was going on. They move around the neighborhood early in the morning and in the evening, and sometimes my timing was off...or it rained and stormed and it was impossible to go out. But this morning I managed to get out of the house a little earlier, hoping it would be a good to time to see them out for their morning foray.Sure enough, drawing nearer to the area where they usually are, the adult deer were hurrying across the road, with a couple of fawns scurrying to keep up with them. I couldn't get close enough to get any pictures of them, so was feeling frustrated but quietly kept moving forward just in case...
And then I saw movement near the fence next to the woods where the family had just entered. There was a young fawn desperately trying to find his way past the fence, but he just couldn't seem to find the opening where the rest had gone.
A large Red Shouldered Hawk flew overhead and landed in a tree nearby, keeping his "hawk-eye" sharply focused on the activity below...
Even though Little Fawn is now too large to be considered a prey for this predator, the instinctive notion of fear is still beating in his chest...not only fear of the hawk...but of the two legged creature slowly coming closer and closer...and here was another fenced dead-end!
Got to get out of here...there has to be some way to get back with my family...Oh, why did I dawdle behind again? Why can't I learn to keep up with the rest of the group?
I can see by his eyes and his open mouth that he is panicking...he keeps thrashing against the fence, unable to leap high enough to jump to freedom, acutely aware that he is lost again and in danger...
I wanted so badly to lead this little one back to the safety of his family...but he wasn't in any mood to listen to my voice or to follow me anywhere, so reluctantly I turned around and headed back home, saying a little prayer for this wayward "child" who just can't seem to follow the rules in his wild kingdom.
This little fawn reminds me of the little sheep that went astray...and the Good Shepherd left the rest of the flock of ninety-nine sheep to go out and search for the wayward sheep who was lost...
Luke 15:4-7
4. "What man of you, having a hundred sheep,
if he loses one of them, does not leave the
ninety-nine in the wilderness,
and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?
5. And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders,
rejoicing.
6. And when he comes home, he calls together
his friends and neighbors,
saying to them:
"Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep
which was lost!"
7. I say to you that likewise there will be
more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine just persons who need
no repentance."
(See also Matthew 18:10-14 for another version of this same story.)
I do hope that little fawn's family will not give up on this wayward "sheep", but will continue to encourage him to keep up with the herd and not wander away from safety again. Perhaps I need to stay away for awhile and give them time to teach him better self-discipline! I wonder why there always seems to be that one child in every family who is either more independent or more bent toward adventure, (or just plain rebellious?) And yet...who among us as parents would not continue to search for that child no matter how often they wandered away from home...and would you not rejoice when he/she finally was found and came home again? ( This reminds me of another parable here..."The Prodigal Son", found in Luke 15:11-32)
Some things to think about...
