Velvet

(Photo Credit: Israel Butt)

For hunters, summer is a time often categorized by what is absent, rather than what is present. In summer there are no frost covered truck hoods in the morning, no long sits in leafless trees, no numb toes stuffed into a pair of heavy insulated boots. Summer yields no frozen mustache whiskers or itchy trigger fingers. The sharp fall breeze is but a dream under summer’s steamy hot breath. 

Yes, sunny days and bright blue skies bring their own unique sense of joy, but for those who find their solace in dark cool mornings the vibrant heat of a July evening does more than make the brow sweat. Extended daylight hours are just another reminder of that which we long for. Cardinals singing and cicadas buzzing sound more like a taunt than a song for those of us who prefer the sounds of Autumn. Owls hooting, squirrels barking, and geese honking are sweet melodies to the soul, but summer bears only their echoes. 

Yet, even in the midst of scorching desperation hunters find reason for hope during this time of year. By now, trail cameras are full of the soft and fuzzy treasure that brings a smile to every hunter's face, velvet. 

Whitetail deer, like all cervids, shed their antlers each spring only to regrow them through the summer in preparation for the fall breeding season. That is the major difference between horns and antlers, horns grow continuously, while antlers are shed and regrown annually. 

The growth stage of antler development is one of the most interesting aspects of a deer’s annual life cycle. We typically think of antlers as if they are always in their final form, but before they reach that hard and shiny mature state they must go through a very vulnerable time of growth. During this stage, the antlers sprout from the top of a deer’s skull and form what looks like two big knots or stumps right above the brow. These stumps will eventually grow vertically before branching out and forming individual tines. The antlers at this point are covered in a soft skin like material referred to as velvet. 

The reason that I say velvet is a source for summertime hope is because it is an early indication of what will be. Hunters scan their cameras all summer long watching bucks grow into what will eventually be their final form. It gives us reason to be excited for the fall. Our imaginations run wild as we watch two fuzzy stumps become a labyrinth of tines and mass. You can tell much about what a buck will be by seeing him in his velvet stage. That is what summer is all about for hunters, the joy and anticipation of the “already, but not yet”. We can see a buck’s individual potential and it gives us something to look forward to pursuing in November. 

There has been much research into the leading causes of antler growth, but one theme that is fairly consistent through it all is that of nutrition. Access to high quality food is a major component of maximizing antler growth over time. Areas with higher quantities of quality food tend to see deer with larger antlers across the board as compared to an area with fewer food sources. Summer is all about preparation for the deer herd. Their main goal each day is to eat. This also explains the abundance of spotting scopes and binoculars perched around the edges of bean fields at dusk, behind them are anxious hunters seeking a glimpse of summer’s fuzzy gold. Soybeans and velvet antlers go together like fireworks and the 4th of July. 

The velvet stage is also a very vulnerable time for deer. While the antlers are still soft they are susceptible to damage. Velvet antlers are prone to breaking if put under too much pressure. An injury to the deer’s body can also lead to stunted antler growth or misshapen tines. To his shame, if an antler is broken off during velvet then the buck must wait another year before it grows back. This stage is crucially important if he wishes to have his crown ready for the rut. 

Velvet brings as much hope to the deer as it does the hunters who pursue him. Velvet points forward, it serves as a reminder of the sweetness of things to come. It is a bright shining beacon in the drought of summer. When the velvet is finally shed, bucks are free to be who they were meant to be, kings of the American forest. They wear their crowns as a gift. They shine with the wet morning dew, but there is no glory where there was no velvet. 

So too is it with us as Christians. Our lives seem to be just one long velvet phase. We long for that which we will be, but the awkward humiliation of what we still are remains. We know that those whom God justified he will also glorify (Romans 8:30), but in the meantime he also promises to sanctify. Sanctification is just the growth in between our justification and our final glorification. In Heaven we will reach our final form. There we will receive our crown and will taste the sweetness of everlasting life. Here we still struggle. On Earth, we are vulnerable to the attack of the enemy. We are still susceptible to injury. We still run the risk of seeing our final form diminished if we are not careful to protect our velvet. 

There is no glory where there is no velvet. In Christ we have tasted the first fruits of Heaven, but all that we will be has yet to be revealed. I long for my new body, one that is incorruptible against the power of sin, one that shines in the radiance of God’s glory and grace. I hope for that day, but I have yet to receive it in full. I am still in development. I have yet to shed my velvet. Therefore, I must be careful to take in as much spiritual nutrients as possible. God’s word fortifies my soul, just as summer beans strengthen hungry herds. 

If you feel frustrated by the elongated summer of life, frustrated that you are not yet what you will eternally be, take heart for you are not alone. Christ has gone to prepare a place for you. He will be there waiting for you, along with all of Heaven’s joys. We still have reason to hope. Do not scorn your sanctification. Do not hate the process by which you grow into the likeness of your God. Do not neglect the current season in wishing for the next one. Antler growth takes time, sanctification takes even more. 

When you feel that you are not growing, take some time to look at your velvet. The things that now cause you pain, the temptations that seem to always prevail will one day be distant memories. Stumps turn into tines and mass is added each day. Christ yearns for the day when you will shine in your glorified state, but he is not willing to spare you the velvet stage of life. He too was made vulnerable, he too was injured and made weak. He too faced evil, yet prevailed over it all. 

Velvet was made to be shed. At some point your sanctification will be complete. Be faithful in the interim. Take in the living water and true food for your soul and preserve yourself for the days ahead. 

I believe in the God who makes all things beautiful in their time. I am not yet what I will eternally be, but I have reason to hope for I have seen how far my God has brought me already. My body and soul bear the marks of growth in Him. He is the one who keeps and preserves me. He feeds me. He causes all my growth. 

I yearn for my Heavenly crown, but I will not despise my velvet. 

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11