Dawn was magical this morning. There was not a cloud in the sky. With majesty a gigantic red-yellow globe rose from the edge of the crisp, fifteen degree cold, landscape. Steam ascended from a few factories in the valley below decorating the morning with ever-changing white fluffy plumes against a deep blue backdrop. The ground crunched underfoot as we left footprints across the lawn. A few nuthatches, chickadees and juncos were already having breakfast at the feeder.
But something had spoiled this winter Eden. My dog was super alert with hair rising from her back and tail straight out. The next forty-five minutes were filled with sniffing the air, alertly responding to every sound, and checking behind all bushes. It has been ten years since we have seen a bear in the yard and neighbors say it has been twice that long since a moose has wandered up Old Farm Road. However, I often see our resident coyote and last week a deer spent the day sleeping in the backyard. I checked the trees for porcupines, sometime visitors. For all my peering I could not find anything. My nose wasn’t telling me what the dog’s nose told her. Something had been with us overnight.
Fear is a very healthy thing. It keeps us from being hurt; but it can also spoil a perfectly fine morning or an entire life. One of the Bible’s strongest messages is for us to fear not. The psalmist wrote, “He shall give His angels charge over us.” And in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus assures us we are so much more valuable than a small bird and yet His Father cares for them.
Written by Roger Bothwell on December 17, 2010
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org