Our home is equipped with security cameras. They beep at us when they detect anything approaching our front or back doors or the garage area.
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The movement is captured on video and saved, and over the years we’ve become accustomed to seeing videos of dogs and cats passing by. Sometimes even a bird or squirrel or a neighbor mowing his yard will trigger the camera.
Early one morning, just after dawn, we heard a notification alert from our garage monitor. We checked the video and were a bit stunned at what we saw: A young deer standing on the driveway. This was a very rare sight. We don’t live in the woods — we’ve lived in the middle of a suburban Birmingham subdivision for 36 years and had never before seen a deer on our property.
There are woods in the distance, but a lot of new construction had caused much of that wildlife habitat to be cut down, cleared and carried away. We guessed the majestic-looking critter had been driven from home.
It looked lost and confused, staring at rows of houses and concrete, which resembled nothing of its home. The animal seemed understandably jittery and afraid. When a school bus came rumbling down the street, the deer took off in a streak, clearly frightened. We never saw it again, and wonder if it ever found its way to safety.
Dependable guide
Life can be like that. Most of us go through times when we feel lost, driven away from the values and culture we used to see as the standard. The moral neighborhood is so different now. We feel far from home, scared of what we don’t understand, lonely in a crowd of people who don’t notice us, confused about what direction to take.
But the Christian needn’t despair. The Bible tells us, “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands” (2 Cor. 5:1).
With Jesus you’re never really lost; never too far from home. His Word will guide your way. Live in His instruction.
Nobody can tear down that habitat!
EDITOR’S NOTE — Ken Lass is a retired Birmingham television news and sports anchor and an award-winning columnist for numerous publications and websites.
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