Spiritual Buffalo

I read an article a while back by Sara Groves....and it's one that I mentally refer back to often because I love the point the author was making. She explained a scene from the movie "Dances with Wolves" where the Sioux Indians are preparing for a buffalo hunt. Apparently they hadnt seen buffalo in a while and Kevin Costner's character tips them off to where some can be found. So they spend time preparing for the hunt....dancing, dressing, preparing horses and hunting supplies. Then the next morning they go to where they expect to see hundreds of buffalo, and instead find hundreds of buffalo carcasses strewn across the prairie.
The author continued to talk about how in the Sioux culture they made use of every part of the buffalo and nothing was wasted..the bladder carried water, the bones made tools, the skin made clothing. Whoever had done this had taken the best part for themselves and left the rest to rot. The Sioux did not have time to make good use of the dead buffalo so it was impossible to redeem.
She then goes on to point out her own realization that she was not using all of her spiritual buffalo. We live in a society of consumption and aquisition and most of our spiritual resources are for us to develop our spiritual maturity and to help push us to deeper depths. But the question she poses to herself is that is she just taking the best parts of the buffalo for herself? Was her spiritual life just one of consumption and aquisition?

I love this analogy. I think it's something we could all plea guilty to at some point. I know I can. And it made me ask myself those very questions....am I just taking the best parts for myself? Am I using all of my spiritual buffalo? Am I joining Him in the work that he has created me to do...or am I just being a spiritual glutton on the resources he has blessed me with? Am I being poured out as an offering? What am I not tapping into to make good use of my life?

This analogy always serves as a good reminder to me and when he brings it to my thoughts all I can do is beg and plead that he would continue to teach me how to use all he has given me to do the work he has prepared and created me to do.