Watching this short clip, my mind got sobered. The video jumped at me with lots of sympathy feelings for both the Calf, the Doe ( female) and Buck (Male) Antelopes trapped in a very difficult situation.
However they tried, they wouldn’t be able to find solution by themselves except help comes somewhere.
Their situation, though sympathetic, seems to be the reality of many of us, struggling to get ourselves off such hooks and entanglement of hopeless situations, unless help from a superior and more powerful source comes.
This young Antelope perhaps missed its way and got trapped into the claws of a hungry Leopard. Its life endangered already, except miracle occurs.
For the Leopard, the small Antelope was the least of its concern. Rather than kill and devour the Calf immediately, the Leopard became strategic, using it as a bait to attract and lure better and more endowed preys to its claws ( Deo and Buck Antelopes)
It was a strategic thinking though devious on the part of the Leopard for a bigger catch.
As the Leopard kept playing with the small Antelope its eyes were on the bigger Antelopes.
It knew that parental instinct wouldn’t allow the male and female Antelopes to walk away without trying to rescue their Calf already trapped in its dangerous claws.
True to the Leopard’ thinking the big Antelopes came, hovered around from a distance, surveyed the risk involved and concluded it would be profitable for them to walk away alive than get killed trying to rescue their baby Antelope from the claws of a Leopard which of course would be their death trap if they dare.
They ran away on the instinct of self preservation , leaving the baby Antelope to its fate. Life!!
What possibly would you do if you find yourself in such a difficult situation the Antelopes found themselves? Walk away as they did? Having seen their helplessness and their weakness to fight without losing their lives.
Life can be that way sometimes, watching ones loved ones helplessly sucked away.
Life can be that intimidating, confronting one brazenly, poking its big fingers into ones eyes, without one being able to defend oneself.
Life can be that daring, throwing things and shoving it down ones throat however unsavoury. Such is the reality of many of us oftentimes.
The big Antelopes were frustrated. They wished they had power, strong enough to confront the Leopard and have their Calf rescued. But they were hopeless and helpless.
Imagined what their joy and happiness could have been if from nowhere a big Elephant emerged and shoved the
Leopard off the grip of the Calf.
To the wiles of life. To the temptation, enticement and allurement of the world systems. To the ploy and intrigues of the devil, we are like a Calf, the Deo and Buck Antelopes before that hungry Leopard.
Three lessons:
1) When the devil hits or confronts one with poverty, immorality, hunger, frustration etc, there are bigger things he looks for . Walk away! Don’t engage him. One wouldn’t survive it, if one dares or fall for such cunning strategies.
2) We are on our own very powerless before the challenges of life, confronting such challenges with our natural power leaves one defeated. Only the presence of God would save the day. Always be in his presence.
3) When people walk away from you in your trapped situations, it may not be that they hate you. It could be that their lives would go if they dare,walking away in pains and frustration of not being powerful enough to help becomes their best option.
May we never find ourselves in such situations of weak and helplessness. May help come at the nick of time to shove off our life threatening Leopards, holding our calves hostage as a ploy to destroy us.
Jarlath Uche Opara Jarlathuche@gmail.com
