Abundance In The Bush - Country DevotionsSample

Don’t Shoot

It’s part of life on the land - shooting animals. The scrubber steer that can’t be caught, breaks fences and teaches the herd to become rogues. The feral pig digging up pasture and eating newborn stock. The dingo that maims and feeds on calves. The threatening snake. The horse with its leg broken. The favorite dog damaged by wild cattle. The cow so weak from drought and starvation it can’t stand. Sick, diseased stock. Sometimes there is no kinder option, yet it’s heartbreaking, especially when you have nurtured the animal and watched it grow. If you can’t help a suffering animal, it is cruel to prolong its misery.

Praise God we don’t shoot ’difficult’ or wounded people! Or do we? Have you ever heard statements like these: If you had more faith you wouldn’t be sick. If you were a good Christian you wouldn’t get depressed. If you were a better parent, your kids wouldn’t have gone off the rails. Your track record says you’ll never be any different. You must have done something bad to bring on these bad things that are happening to you.

Untimely or untrue statements are like bullets, further wounding an already suffering person. When a person is down, the last thing they need is for someone to sink the boot in. Condemnation is the work of an enemy.

“I will never leave a fallen comrade” is part of a soldier’s creed. It would make a good Christian creed too - don’t leave a fallen comrade and don’t shoot the wounded with ‘friendly fire’. When life has wounded a person, they need to be picked up with unconditional love and acceptance and carried to the safe place of God’s reassuring love. Reach up to God for them and reach out to them for God. Don't shoot! We want people in heaven because of us, not despite us.

Thank You Good Shepherd that You do not wound us further when we are suffering, or when we have wandered off and become lost. You welcome us, protect us and dress our wounds. Help us to do the same for our wounded brothers and sisters. In Jesus’ name, Amen.