The Crippled Deer

There’s a little doe

Who lives in my wood.

She can’t leap and run

In the way that she should.

She favors a hind leg,

Holding it high.

I watch out my window

With a sad little sigh.

Awkwardly limping,

She trots with the herd.

No nimble jumping,

Nor free like a bird.

The others graze with her;

An older doe stands guard.

They care for their sister

Whose life will be hard.

Devotional Reflections

Day after day I watch this crippled doe graze in my backyard. She is always part of a group with other does and fawns. Whether she was born with this defect or an accident caused an injury, her hind leg dangles uselessly, the muscles atrophied and weak. She limps as she grazes, and I can only imagine how tired this deer must be as she keeps up with the herd. She never seems to be left behind, however, and I'm amazed at what we can learn from wildlife about loyalty, protection, and community. In today's world, people feel lonelier than ever. What can we learn from a herd of deer to include one another better?

We all long to belong.

Introspection

• If you know someone with a disability, either physical or mental, how does this example help you think about caring for and including that person?

  
  

• Just as the crippled doe is part of a group, how can we ensure others have a place to belong among ourselves? What are ways we can protect, value, and love others?

  
  

• If you're like me, you may identify with the crippled doe. What is one thing we can do to find our "herd" - our place to belong?

"God places the lonely in families..." ~Psalm 68:6a

by Heather J. Willis, author