The deer are breaking the rules, “Don’t cross the ‘leaf line.’” The “leaf line” is where the grass stops and the leaf-covered woods begin. We feed corn to the deer in the fall and winter on their side of the “leaf line.” On the grass side of the “leaf line,” I throw out birdseed for the birds. The young bucks have decided that they want to eat the corn, AND they want to eat the birdseed, too! So I open the door and Charlie, the reprobate dog, runs them back into the woods. Charlie’s bark serves as a warning, “GET BACK ACROSS THE LEAF LINE!” So many of us are like the young deer. We want what God provides us, and we also want what is off-limits. We want the blessings of God, yet we want the things of this world, too! We want what God intended, AND what God never intended for his children. And so we stray across the “line.” God loves us enough to send guilt, a prick of conscience, a believing friend, or a fit “word” to steer us back. And God disciplines us to get us back on God’s right side. If you aren’t experiencing God’s peace, joy, and His presence, check where you are standing. You might have strayed onto the wrong side of God’s “leaf
line.”
– Virginia Thompson