Hay! Follow Me!
By: Susan Deborah Schiller
I followed the elk herd with my camera lens from the security of the living room window. How did they know it was the day after hunting season? How did they know we had just dumped a bale of hay in the horse pasture?
I like to keep watch with both sets of eyes… one set on what's around me and the other set stretching beyond the scenes, just out of sight… across the invisible divide between heaven and earth.
Elk like to talk. Their voices nearly sing when they're happy. I know they love their families, protect their children, and look out for each other. I watched it all from my window, from late fall to early spring.
Most of us are followers, letting the leader call the major decisions. When he says "Hay! Follow me!" we run with the herd. There's wisdom in nature, and most of the time this is right on. But not when a leader is a wolf in disguise.
Elk can only take so much human contact. I've had stare-downs for as much as five minutes or so, which seems an eternity if you don't have the protection of a door or a wall between you and the leader. Elk know who their predators are, and perhaps could sense that I was an elk-eater.
Why are humans left so senseless when it comes to seeing the predators in our midst? How can we so easily miss the signs? We promote them, put them on platforms and in front of television cameras, and then when they attack, we blame the victims. We don't protect our own.
I used to be follower, a really good one. When the leader said, "Hay! Follow me!" I followed with the rest of the herd, just wanting to be fed. But no more. Instead, I've struck out on my own path. It was time to go. Since then I've connected with so many others who have left the herd whose leaders cannot smell the predators… who let their followers bleed.
I've changed my scent. No longer a victim, I don't smell like prey anymore. Now the predators are afraid of me!
You don't have to follow the herd. You can change. You can create your own environment to be an abuse-free zone.
So that's my "three-words" twice today… Thanks to Beth and her creative ideas!
For some creative fun, consider clicking the image above to play in the "Three-Word-Wednesday" blog hop!
Cheers to your best real life,
Sue
Susan Schiller knows how it feels to lose everything: marriage and family, church and reputation, finances and businesses, and more. Susan's upcoming, interactive memoir, "On the Way Home," tells the story of how she came to be known as "the most abused woman" her counselors had yet met and how she learned to navigate her way out of hell to a rich and satisfying life. In her lifetime, Susan has served in duties ranging from home school mom – to pastor – to full-time deliverance minister – and to Midwest regional prayer coordinator for a large international ministry. These days you can usually find Susan soaking in her favorite hot springs pool, reading a book (or several), blogging, baking bread, or hanging out with her family and friends. You can get a free copy of Susan's upcoming book, "On the Way Home" by registering here.
Copyright 2013, Susan Schiller, http://TeamFamilyOnline.com. Permission is granted to copy, forward, or distribute this article for non-commercial use only, as long as this copyright byline and bio, in totality, is maintained in all duplications, copies, and link references. For reprint permission for any commercial use, in any form of media, please contact Susan Schiller.
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Seeing how I live in a town called "Elk" Grove I was intrigued by your post. Thanks for joining for Three Word Wednesday. It's always a delight to have someone new join us. I hope you will join again for future weeks.
Blessings,
Beth
Thank you, Beth, for your warm welcome… and for your creative inspiration. I have a daughter who lives in Elk Grove, Illinois… 🙂