Lord, Do I Need a Fence?

The early morning light welcomes me as I sit down at my dining-room table for devotions. Looking out my patio door, I smile at the faces staring back at me.

Several deer, frozen in place by my movement, have stopped grazing and are waiting to determine whether they are safe. I love to watch them walk across the yard or nibble the leaves off the bushes; their velvet ears and brown eyes wary of any possible danger. But honestly, I am generally not too fond of the deer in my neighborhood.

They eat everything in sight—bushes, gardens, flowers, and other things I wish they would leave alone! Many of the flowers I love to enjoy throughout the summer are like candy to the deer, so those blossoms are no longer in my yard. I once set a pot of flowers down by the garage instead of placing it up on the deck, and a couple of days later, when I got home from work, a pot full of empty stems greeted me. People tell us if we really want a garden around here, it must be enclosed in at least a six-foot-tall fence! And deer are constantly crossing the streets, darting out unexpectedly, sometimes causing serious accidents.

In fact, our son hit a deer on his motorcycle, causing the deer’s early demise, wrecking the motorcycle, and sending our son to the hospital for several days.

So, this morning, as the deer and I lock eyes, Psalm 42:1 rises up in my mind: “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God” (NLT).

I sense Jesus inviting me to consider whether I am as determined to guard my time with Him as I am to guard my flowers from the deer. Are there treasures in His Word I am not experiencing because I have been letting other things “eat” into the time He would love to spend with me? Time He could use to cause His character to bloom in my life? Have I “put a fence” around that time? Oh, Jesus, I do thirst after You! My soul longs for You! Today I choose to surrender my priorities to You. Please let Your Living Word create the beauty of holiness and the fragrance of God in my life!

DeeAnn Bragaw