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Woman to Woman

Vol. 7, No. 2

“And ye are complete in him.” Colossians 2:10

Mar./Apr. 2004

H

O

O

K

E

D

!

By Bonnie Applegate

“Oh, there

she is!” I whis-

pered to my hus-

band. Mama deer

was back. Her

twin fawns gal-

loped around our yard, the white undersides of their tails

waving exuberantly in the air. Now they could play on

their own. Mama didn’t have to watch them so closely

and she could get down to the business of eating.

The ragged green grass sparkled in the afternoon sun.

She nibbled on it for a bit and then headed right for the

vegetable garden. I chuckled as she came to the little pea

patch. Just as she’d often done before, she reached

through the wire fencing to chew on the few remaining

vines. I marveled as she put her head all the way through

the small opening.

But then something went wrong. She reared in panic

and the five-foot piece of fencing came with her, stuck

around her neck. She shook her head but it didn’t budge.

She ran around in panic, to no avail. The fencing still hung

crookedly from her neck. She went down the steps to the

driveway and stopped to collect her thoughts. She shook

her head and walked some more on her delicate legs.

For a while her fawns continued to play. As they

raced around, their speckled brown bodies blended in

with the brown grass beyond the lawn. Then they sensed

the danger and bolted into the nearby woods. Mama deer

circled back onto the lawn. She stared at me as I watched

her from the picture window only about thirty feet away.

We couldn’t help our wild visitor. We had to watch help-

lessly as she flailed and rested, flailed and rested.

Then we saw a most amazing thing. She went down to

the gate and backed up to the tall wooden post. The fenc-

ing hooked against the post and she could back out of it.

She stood very still for some minutes, whistling for her

fawns. Then she trotted off into the woods.

You and I are like that deer. We see some forbidden

fruit and we reach through a “fence” to get it. It tastes

good so we keep going back. And just like that deer, each

time we go back we reach a little farther. Then we find

ourselves hooked. And no matter what we do we can’t get

rid of that thing hanging around our necks.

We might try to shake it. We might try to think our

way out of the situation. But the only way we can be free

of our burden is to find Someone to hold it for us while we

back out.

“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of

the world!” John 1:29

?

[Bonnie writes from Mauna, Washington. She is the author

of two biographies and supports her writing habit by working in

public libraries.]

Inside This Issue:

Editorial

GodisFlexible! ················· Page2

A Page from My Experience

Survival of the Fittest ··············· Page4

Adversity Can Distress Us or Bless Us ·······Page5

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made (Part 10) ·····Page6

My Cup Has Overflowed ·············· Page7

Up Close and Personal

LoveinAction·················· Page8

Letter from An Orphan ·············· Page10

Vegetarian Chili ·················· Page11

Spotlight on Orphans

Smiles & Tears for the Children at Hope Center · Page 12

Blessing Our Husbands··············· Page15