A Resting Place

Lonely road along Roosevelt Lake

We’d had a wonderful visit with our son in the vast country of eastern Washington State. It is beautiful there, but remote. It was early morning, we needed to begin our drive home before breakfast, because Jim needed to be back in town in the afternoon to attend a men’s retreat. We were armed with coffee, and ready to go. The sky began lightening. A beautiful, cool autumn morning.

Sunrise

All of a sudden, there was a thump on the passenger side of the truck, then I saw on the driver’s side, the frightened eyes of a deer. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Jim kept on driving, for there was no place to stop. I grabbed my cell phone, ready to call my son and tell him what had happened. Of course, there was no cell service. We were in the mountains and no civilization around. “I never saw her!” Jim exclaimed, “There was no time to avoid hitting either of them. We’ll stop when there’s a safe spot to pull over.” There wasn’t one for many miles, but at last, there was a wide spot in the road. There was some damage to the headlights, but it could have been so much worse. As we drove, I prayed for the poor deer, who was just trying to cross the road to forage for more food. I prayed she and her fawn would not suffer. There was nothing else I could do, but I knew the Creator of the Universe would know and care. He made them after all!

Life is kind of like that experience. We go along, life is good. We celebrate weddings, births, anniversaries. And then, something crashes in on our existence and it isn’t what we’re expecting. It could be a physical diagnosis. Perhaps a family member is dying and we were surprised it was happening, as is occurring right now in my family. You are estranged from a family member or friend. You just lost your job. A spouse said they want to end the marriage.

In our case, we were enjoying the early morning drive when the deer innocently walked in to disaster.

This morning as I read the devotional hymn of the day, I was comforted by this song written in the nineteenth century. I remember singing this song in an evening service in the small church in my neighborhood. All of us need a “resting place.”

1 My faith has found a resting place,
from guilt my soul is freed;
I trust the ever-living One,
his wounds for me shall plead.

Refrain:
I need no other argument,
I need no other plea,
it is enough that Jesus died,
and that he died for me.

3 My heart is leaning on the Word,
the written Word of God,
salvation by my Savior’s name,
salvation thro’ his blood.

Wheat Farm

Our drive was uneventful after that as we rolled along the highway, taking in the beauty of that fall day.

But I continued to think about that poor deer and her unawareness of danger for she and her fawn–who was nearly full-sized. I left both of them in God’s loving care.

As you begin your day today, I hope you think about the words to that hymn written more than one-hundred years ago. A resting place. The words are so true and hopeful.