Regrowth

Tiny crystalline water drops were blowing in the cold wind.  The heavy coat recently grown is now a blessing in spite of the additional weight.  Buck Whitetail had dropped the antler on the right side of his head, and it was annoying to walk along, head listing to the left.  But presently this sleek and well-muscled animal caught the remaining antler on an overhanging snag of the old dead pine, and he was free of the antler.

 Buck had successfully served and serviced his little harem, protecting them from would-be suitors and threatening predators alike.  But now seeking forage over the long winter months would be the focus.  As the magnificent deer walked up to the little pond for a drink, he caught sight of his reflection in the water, and might have thought he looked like an old doe, head naked as it was.  His greatest asset, perhaps it seemed, was no longer a part of him.  Gone.

Have you ever found yourself in a position where it seemed that your spiritual gift, like the buck's antlers, had fallen away?  You seem to be facing a cold and cruel winter, no longer prepared to minister?

Your gift may have been explication, and you can no longer parse the scripture for spiritual truths to share.

If exhortation, it seems you've nothing left to say.

If encouragement, you have nothing left for the needy, for you are empty yourself.

You had the gift of prayer, yet now your petitions and praises seem to rise no higher than the ceiling in your room.

If music, your voice or your chords seem brassy and unpleasant to your own ear.

 As the winter snows began to melt, the stirring of growth in the cranial regions are felt; the cartilage  almost spurts from his head as new bone develops to ultimately create a set of antlers even larger than the ones Buck had before.

In our human-ness we may face discouragement, we may feel we are bereft of the tools with which to promote God's kingdom.  But

God is in control.

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. --Psalm 27:14