“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6)

The Zion National Park Lodge is a collection of buildings located between a backdrop of red sandstone cliffs and a central green. After a morning of driving and an afternoon hike at the Narrows, we spent our evening relaxing in and around the lodge. We had a picnic dinner of the pulled pork BBQ that we had purchased earlier in the day, the boys played a couple games of chess, and then we headed over to the main building for ice cream. On our way we encountered two white-tailed deer who had come out of the woods in order to graze on the green. By the time we were finished with our dessert, there were seven deer spread out over the lawn.

Although they remained wary of anyone who approached them, they seemed generally unconcerned by our presence. The result of regulations prominently posted throughout the park: Wildlife are to be left wild.

Experiencing wildlife in this way feels like a glimpse of the shalom to which our world is promised to return. While these deer were extremely skinny and most likely driven by desperation into close proximity with us, one day all of creation will return to a state of harmony. All of God’s creatures will flourish together, forever.