Road Kill

God chose me to be a mom of boys. My boys love camping, hunting, fishing, climbing and being in scouts. They are very good at all their outdoor activities. My youngest loves hunting and animals so much that his new hobby is taxidermy. Yes, I know it is gross; but he is very good at skinning animals and preserving their hides. I have always told him that we only hunt for food or to preserve other animals by killing a nuisance. He is a good hunter. He has several snake and raccoon skins on his wall. Imagine my surprise when I drove into my driveway to see a raccoon without its skin laying in the front yard. A naked raccoon! In the front yard! He said he left it there on purpose as buzzard bait. I was not too happy about that one. Worse was the time I picked up a Ziploc bag in the freezer only to discover that it was a snake. Our house can become very interesting at times.

One thing I never read in the baby books are the rules that you have to make for children with interesting hobbies. Because of his interest in skinning animals, Colton has become very adept at spotting animals that have been accidently killed on the country roads near our home. He has even talked his older brother, who has his own car, into stopping to collect a several day old carcass after his father and I had said no. In the interest health and safety, I had to make a road kill rule. No one ever told me when I brought these precious babies home from the hospital that one day, I would have to make a road kill rule. The road kill rule states: You may only pick up road kill if we have just hit it with our own car, AND we are close enough to the house that you can carry it home across the pasture.

The Road Kill rule actually prompted me to think about my spiritual life. There are many times when I am on the side of the highway of life. I have been battered and bruised by words and actions. I am helpless to mend my scarred body and unable to continue my journey. I feel as unattractive and useless as a piece of road kill. But I serve a God who is a gracious. He does not have a road kill rule. He is not worried about getting himself injured while tending to me. No matter where I am, He is always traveling down my road. No matter how battered I am, He picks me up and heals my brokenness. He restores my soul. He holds me until it is safe for me to travel again. In fact, His word promises us that He searches the earth seeking to strengthen those whose hearts are His. (1 Chronicles 16:9) I praise Him for seeking to strengthen me. I praise Him for lessons I can learn about Him through my wonderful boys.