Fearsome . . . or . . . Fearless

This week has been illuminating, to say the least.  As doors are opening and closing, other facts are surrounding my awareness, as well.  A few months ago, I had a dream in which I was driving home from town and as I was just about home, saw several black bears laying along side the lane to my house.  My dog, Hank, was poised and appeared quite diligently aware of the situation.  When I awoke, I felt it was significant, but wasn't really sure that it represented spiritual symbolism.  I mentioned it to someone, and they responded immediately with what bears meant in dreams, and dogs, etc . . . That seemed too vague for the specifics of the dream.  I tend to shy away from thinking everything is prophetic symbolism.  I realize that is possible, but usually my dreams that are specific are more literal than symbolic.  To consider bears as literal on the place was not an idea I wanted to entertain, so I decided to not think about it.

Interestingly, not long after the dream, not one, but two men mentioned that the Department of Conservation had chipped and released bears in the area and a neighbor of one of the gentlemen had seen one on his back deck getting into his trash can.  Naturally, the dream popped back in to my mind, but again, I just didn't want to think about it!  Besides, the bears in my dream were either dead, lazy, or intimidated by Hank.  

Fast forward to about a month ago, when my mother called.  Now, I can just about always count on my mother to provide the negative confirmation or at least a spontaneous ominous perspective to things I've been shown.  She called because she'd been watching a news report that said there were about 300 black bears in southern Missouri.  Again, the memory of the dream came to mind.  Since this was now the third unsolicited mention of bears since my dream, I decided it was time to put on my big girl panties and do a bit of research.  Sure enough, black bears are on the increase in the area, and protected by the Department of Conservation.  Arkansas did a reintroduction of black bears, that appear to prefer Missouri, so we now actually have what is called the Missouri Black Bear Project.  According to the research I've done, there have been quite a few sightings near my "neck o' the woods."

I have to admit, the thought of a side arm for blackberry picking did cross my mind . . . especially the way Hank scouted the lane every time I went to pick.  He acted like he knew about my dream.  I had several visitors that first week of blackberry picking, and there were no bear sightings.  The next week, I went back to where my grandson and I had picked and as Hank scouted the timber, I came across a swarm of honey bees.  I wrote about that in last week's edition, and once again had to push the thought of bears out of my mind.  Bears like honey, and that is one of the main topics in the pages I had researched.  

Something happened earlier this week that has not happened since Hank and Babe arrived on the place in 2011.  I lost a goat to a varmint.  This was no small goat and evidence from the scene, indicated it was no small varmint.  Hank and Babe have kept coyotes at bay, I've seen Hank take off after them, after foxes, but this was different.  I could tell the animal had been driven away by the way the carcass of the goat appeared, but this animal had clearly caught my guardian dogs, off guard.  Later when I went back to pick more blackberries I thought of David dealing with wild animals in his shepherding days.  I knew whatever that critter was, I was being kept safe by my Heavenly Father.  I also knew, this was another sign of the end of days, regarding beasts of the field mentioned in the Revelation 6.

To date, I haven't yet seen this critter, but the other day, I heard a commotion and ran out the door.  Babe was barking like I'd never heard her, and Hank leaped and climbed fences and ran like I've never seen him do.  He then ran up the north lane toward Babe's barking.  I saw his white tail going east into the timber, barking ferociously, and then within minutes came sauntering back, appearing to convey, "mission accomplished."  When he got back to the middle of the place, he then took the pose he'd had in my dream.  Y'hshuwah said, "Fear not."  I will not feed the fears!