The apples are ripe. I have been picking apples and making applesauce.
The deer also like the apples! They come around regularly looking to see if any have dropped on the ground.
So, every time I go out to pick apples, I always pick some extra and drop them all over the ground for the deer.
I had picked apples the Friday before Labor Day weekend but had not had time to make applesauce. The bowlful of apples sat on the kitchen counter all weekend.
Monday evening hubby and I had just returned home after adventuring around Lake Washington. I started to fix dinner … when I glanced out the window and noticed the deer had showed up right about that time too, to look for some dinner underneath the apple tree.
I was feeling somewhat sorry for them. There were no fallen apples underneath the tree.
But … there sat a whole bowlful of apples on my kitchen counter.
They were small apples, and quite a few looked to be buggy. To be honest, I had been dreading the effort it would take to peel and cut out all the buggy places.
I decided to have pity on the deer and give them a few apples from the bowl.
Outside I went, carrying the bowlful of buggy apples … and began rolling them over to the deer. The deer totally knew what was going on! They didn’t start or bolt, even with me “throwing”/rolling apples towards them. They stood patiently … looking forward to their treat!
I headed back inside and continued with dinner preparations. The deer took their time feasting on their apples.
But then a strange thing happened. Upon finishing their dinner and upon not finding any more apples on the ground … the deer proceeded to walk right over to my kitchen window. They normally don’t come that close, right up to the house. But there they stood … just outside my kitchen window … gazing soulfully up at me through the window!
I had no idea deer could beg like dogs do. But they most certainly can!
Simply standing there … with the most soulful gaze! … staring me down!
Well, they weren’t going to get any more apples.
I needed the rest of the apples to make applesauce. They had plenty of other food out there in the forest.
After about 10 minutes of intense begging, they finally moseyed on.
The older more experienced deer is quite skillful at standing on her hind legs and picking apples off the tree with her teeth. She proceeded to spend the next 30 minutes picking apples herself, while the other deer occupied itself with brushy greenery back in the garden corner.
The moral of the story: Whatever you feed … it will beg for more!
* If you have an unhealthy addiction, perhaps a destructive sinful addiction … if you feed it, it will beg for more!
* If you have a craving/addiction for affirmation and praise … if you feed it, it will beg for more!
* If you have an addiction for sugar or chocolate … if you feed it, it will beg for more! (I’m currently trying to cut back on sugar. It’s a fight!)
The same thing applies to your marriage. Whatever you feed, it will beg for more! If you feed your marriage with time … it will beg for more! The more time you spend with your spouse, the more time you will want to spend with your spouse!
If you feed your marriage with love and affection … it will beg for more! The more you experience love and affection within your marriage … the more you will want to experience love and affection in your marriage!
However, the converse is also true. If you feed your mind with bitterness and negativity against your spouse … it will beg for more. The more you mentally criticize your spouse … the more, and more, and more you will mentally criticize your spouse. To the detriment of your marriage!
“Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 10:5
Don’t feed those negative critical thoughts! Don’t feed that!
The same thing applies to your relationship with God! If you feed it … it will beg for more!
* If you feed your soul with time spent together with God … it will beg for more! The more time you spend with God, learning what He has for you in His word, and listening to what He is saying to you … the more time you will want to spend with God!
* If you feed your soul with the love and affection of God … it will beg for more! The more you experience love and affection from God as displayed through His little daily blessings … the more you will want to experience His love and affection!
* If you feed your soul with the awe and wonder of God’s glory & majesty, as revealed through His creation … the more you will want to experience awe and wonder over how amazing God is!
If you feed it … it will beg for more!
Whatever you feed … it will beg for more!
