THE BEAR WENT OVER THE MOUNTAIN
Let me cut to the chase: There was a big black bear in our backyard! YIKES!!
The bear must have thought our garbage can was a Chinese buffet. It was knocked over, and what a mess. But nobody was hurt in this visitation. My daughters were not outside playing at the time. Should I say, “Thank you Lord for Wi-Fi and indoor electronics”?
But I am also grateful that our next door neighbors were not injured when the bear came a calling. They were taking a stroll in their adjoining backyard when this happened. He is a retired surgeon, and she had just come back from the hospital after going through open-heart surgery. They were having an early evening stroll, and it was one of her first perambulations since a heart valve was replaced. They looked up and saw his bearship acting as lord of the manor.
What is going through my mind right now is an old song, written, and recorded, by that British “mellow yellow” superstar— Donovan. In 1966 he released a hit called “Must Be the Season of the Witch.” Well, my suggested song title is: “Must Be the Season of the Bear.” There have been a ton of bear incidents in my life during the last few months.
There was a time when I was a kid that I only thought about bears in terms of Smokey The Bear ( “Remember, only you can prevent forest fires!”) Also, I earned my Bear Badge in Cub Scouts.
Then, about 10 years ago we made our first trip to Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone National Parks. It was the first time that we saw a grizzly bears. We also saw a lot of stupid human beings in the National parks who would taunt, and get real close to, the grizzlies. The Forest Rangers had to come in several times to protect the bears from human stupidity. Quite frankly, I was rooting for the bears.
We were never at the front of the crowd in the parks, and I felt that if the grizzlies lost their temper and started to charge the crowd, we were far enough back where we could make it to safety. Also, I did not have to outrun the grizzly bears, I just had to out run some crazy humans.
For years, bears have not loomed large in my consciousness. But then came the summer of 2023. My daughter, Robin, served as a counselor at Camp Roanoke. There must have been at least four or five times when bears came onto campgrounds filled with young campers.
Robin had a high tech walkie-talkie, and any bear sightings were quickly related to all the counselors. However, so that the campers were not scared, the bears were called “black deer.” This code name system did not work all that well. Let me give you one example: Robin and campers were at the archery range, and a bear came down for archery practice. It would have been impossible to hide the “black deer” from the youngsters.
Recently, bears have been seen and reported in many suburban situations in the Lynchburg and Roanoke areas. For example, the Lynchburg Police Department has reported many bear excursions into suburban front yards and backyards. Local television stations have posted videos of bears wandering in strip mall parking lots.
Why more bear sightings and excursions into suburban settings than in the past? It could be because a lot of their natural environment is being destroyed. It could have something to do with climate change. But I think the lyrics of the old song will have to be changed to:
“The bear went over the mountain….
To see what he could see….
He saw another strip mall, he saw another strip mall,
he saw another strip mall, and a SUV.”
But then I started thinking: “What happens if the bear comes back? What happens if the bear gets angry because now we are hiding our garbage? What happens if my daughters are out playing in the backyard when the bear visits?”
I could really see my FEAR level going up! Well, I did two things. First, I spoke with my daughters about sensible strategies that should be followed if they see the bear in the backyard.
Second, I took these fears into prayer meditation. I could really feel my FAITH level growing. During one of my morning prayer and meditation sessions, I read a story by a South African woman by the name of Tumi Mogodi.
Tumi and her husband first had trouble conceiving a child. But then they went through several miscarriages. When she found out that she was pregnant again, Tumi was enveloped in fear that this would just be another miscarriage. She became very depressed and really wasn’t functioning.
However, Tumi was deeply struck by a line in the Bible. “Do not fear, because I am with you“(Isaiah 41:8). She decided to act “as if” these words from the prophet, Isaiah were true for her in the 21st-century.
She was amazed at how much of the fear left her, and she started to feel waves of faith. It was of faith that was not dependent on the outcome of the pregnancy. It was very much like the words we say, when we recite the Prayer for Protection: “Wherever we are, God is. And because God is, all is well.”
She felt a real burden lifted from her during this pregnancy. Also, a very healthy little boy was born.
I know in many ways the above is a simple story. But I also decided to take Isaiah 41:8 to heart and act “as if.” I have faith that if another bear comes over the mountains, the Belous family will have the power of wisdom to know what to do.
