Disturbances

I was driving to a teaching assignment with IWU when I noticed something moving from right to left. There, in broad daylight (1:00 in the afternoon), a deer bolted across the road. And while the deer was about 200 yards ahead of me, my first reaction was to slow down. But then I surveyed the situation. To my right was a wide open field - the nearest tree stand was at least a quarter of a mile away. On the left side of the road was a large corn field; a great place for the deer to feed and to hide. While it's not unusual for us to see deer crossing the roads or standing in fields in rural Indiana, it is unusual to see one making such a bold break in the middle of the day. So I began to think, "What made that deer do what it normally wouldn't do? Was there a disturbance in the woods (kind of like a disturbance in the force - sorry, I couldn't help myself)? Did this deer have a death wish?"

But then I took it a step further. What influences in our lives cause us to do things we wouldn't normally do? While we could take that down a negative path, I'd rather venture in a positive direction. What kind of disturbance does it take for us to do the things we should do as Christian leaders? Do we naturally feed the poor, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless? Do we naturally influence our associates in spiritual matters? Do we obey the call of Christ easily, or do we have to have a "disturbance" in our lives to live like Christ in our world? Perhaps I need to be disturbed more than I have been, or than I like to be. Perhaps I need to pray for more disturbances in my life...