Deo Volente
I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind.
-1 Sam 2:35
Nutshell
The main scriptures for my talk came from 1 Samuel 1-3 and James 4, and I presented three times along our hike at Leakin Park located in Baltimore, MD. During my study of Deo Volente, I found it intriguing that both Samuel and Emmanuel end in “uel” which means “Will of God.” That then helped lead me to the guiding question: What have we birthed that we need to give to God and let grow according to His will, His way, in His strength?
The title of this event, Deo Volente, means God willing. On this outing, God solidified three main things in my spirit He wills for me to do: 1) rest in Him (continue to honor Sabbath Day, and institute Preparation Day); 2) fully accept Him as “Lord” of my life; and, 3) understand my strength to stand against opposition. Upon my reflection, I was reminded I am strong in the Lord and His mighty power according to Ephesians 6:10. Subsequently, when I returned to work on Monday, whenever someone asked me how I was doing, I would say “I am strong and confident/courageous.” One staff turned to me to say “Well good for you. I’m just trying to make it through the day.” The second time I saw her in the hallway, she was smiling, raised her hand toward me, and asked, “What was that again? I am strong and confident?” I responded, “Yes, that's it!” She hollered back “O.K. I got it!” I next entered the bathroom and danced in the mirror knowing that I just helped spread the Gospel in a “little way” aka mini-stry.
Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are troubled and weighted down with care, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and become like me, for I am gentle and without pride, and you will have rest for your souls; For my yoke is good, and the weight I take up is
not hard” (Matt 11:28-30 BBE)
I plan to do a retake of this event as I believe the Lord is guiding me to use a different format to present its content. Hence, the likelihood of why all seven invitees declined my invitation. Nonetheless, I am grateful for Tommy, a brilliant spiritual brother who enthusiastically came along to act as my cameraman; and the calming presence of my Friend, Jesus who spoke to me through nature i.e., mainly the creatures we encountered.
The Hike
We ended up hiking approximately 4-6 miles. Along our journey, Tommy slipped into a rivulet without bother, we both climbed over/under a fallen tree in our path and resorted to using the main road temporarily to get us back on the trail leading to the parking lot. Through it all, the good Lord was indeed providing me with another opportunity to practice Philippians 4:8.
When I saw a small group of deer, my mind immediately recalled the KJV of Psalm 42: 1 (I prefer the NIV version now). During my quiet time, the Lord gave me Habakkuk 3:19 and I also learned that the symbolic meaning of a deer is strength and agility.
The sovereign LORD is my source of strength. He gives me the agility of a deer; he enables me to negotiate the rugged terrain.
(Hab 3:19 NET).
After we hiked for quite a while on a steep hill with an elevated incline over 380 ft. and grades between 10% and 20% (a lil’ challenging for this semi-inactive gen-x’er), we came into a clearing leading to the historical Crimea Estate and a Hopi labyrinth, both of which we visited. As we approached the labyrinth, we gathered black walnuts that had fallen to the ground. I dropped several handfuls into the cargo pockets of Tommy’s former Navy-issued pants and conveniently wrapped mine in a towel.
While standing at the entrance of the labyrinth, a honeybee chillaxed inside my hand as I stretched out my arm to describe to Tommy how to enter and walk the labyrinth. He entered first, and I soon followed after my busy, fluttery friend flew away (say that fast, 3 times). Then a strange thing happened within me once I stepped onto the labyrinth; I felt a shock, and I said out loud “Oh my goodness, look at Scarlett carrying her baby.” I realized that I was holding the towel wrapped around the black walnuts in one arm just like I would hold a baby. So I did what came naturally and took a selfie. At certain turns on a circuit, I could feel what felt like the head of a baby impressing on the fold of my arm. After we entered the heart (center) I scribed the letters D.V. in the dirt and we placed the black walnuts to form the letters, meaning Deo Volente. Incidentally, I personally identify with the focus, teamwork, and hard worker attributes of bees.
While we were recording the third segment of the event, a man and his white Labrador(?) came thumping down the trail. The dog looked at us very curiously with excitement as the man kept a tight rein on his leash to keep them on course. They passed us and headed up a hill and more deeply into the woods. Approximately three minutes later, the dog came prancing out of the woods and we could hear the owner screaming for her/him to come back. I suddenly felt ready to welcome the dog, albeit I was simultaneously warning Tommy because he was in a compromised position by lying on the ground to get the perspective angle he was shooting for. The white dog finally yielded to the call of its master and turned around before reaching us. What a relief. Concurrent with the other creatures seen during our hike, the symbolic meaning of a dog is strength, courage, and tenacity.
As we drove off the parking lot, a female deer peered out from the tree line. I am still trying to figure out what or who my baby is. Only time will tell…God willing.
