Opening Day

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During the French Enlightenment, soldiers tore down steeples so people would not be reminded about God. But the villagers responded, "Oh, but you can't pluck the stars out of heaven."

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On opening day, I go hunting so I, too, can be reminded about God. 

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I'll love entering into the hunting woods this Saturday, crushing fall's final leaves underfoot, brushing against felled pine needles that sound like an intermittent "hiss" or "shush."

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There comes a moment that every hunter may or may not process per se, but can feel it, almost touch it, it's so present, either along a Y in the road, or while easing up on the outskirts of a green field, or glassing a massive cutover, when the world's wares and cares ease off the shoulders. That spot is where hunters enter into the forests' sanctuary, we might say, a time to visit, like a houseguest, with our Creator, where His handiwork can best be seen, where the crispness of His word is most clearly read, received, and heard. It's the very thing that draws us back time and again. 

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The Lord Almighty can surely be found anywhere, including large cities. It's so hard to distinguish His voice there, however, above all the noise. If you pop your neck back so you can look towards the heavens, you're almost sure to catch a jittering or glimmering contraption that was made by man. A relatively new phenomenon if you think about it. Historically speaking, how bizarre is it to look towards the heavens and behold anything other than the crystal-clear blue sky? 

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I think God made the cosmos so vast, and us so small, to teach us something about Himself. What a shame that man-made objects in the sky can obstruct that notion.

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A Secret

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I’ve not told anyone this next part in my 57 years. Not for any particular reason, just a routine I kept to myself. Nothing earthshattering, but now seems like as good a time as any. I’m pleased to share my secret with you. 

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The fact that we were made from dirt, and to dirt we shall return, leads me to believe we have a connection here. Ground can and does have a draw. Don’t believe me? Ask anyone who’s been to the Holy Land. If their experience cannot be replicated anywhere else on earth, how can you explain that apart from the actual land?

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As it pertains to my regimen, once I peel off from whomever I’m with and find myself alone, I take a knee, always on my left knee, removing my cap, holding it in my right hand, gun slung over my right shoulder, and with my left hand, I grab a pinch of dirt. I shuffle it between my thumb and fingers, thanking God for letting me enter into His creation. I finish in two dozen seconds or less. 

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From that point forward, the shooting or taking of any game is gravy. The hunt’s already been a success. 

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99% of the Bible verses I committed to memory occurred while sitting on deer stands. I used flip cards from the Topical Memory System. Amazing how our ability to absorb the good things of God occurs outside of church and away from home.

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On Creation Pointing to a Creator

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“What is the object of my love?” I asked the earth and it said, “It is not I.” I asked all that is in it; they made the same confession . . . I asked the sea, the deeps, the living creatures that creep, and they too responded, “We are not your God, look beyond us.” I asked the breezes which blow and the entire air with its inhabitants . .. heaven, sun, moon, and stars; they said: “Nor are we the God whom you seek.” And I said to all these things in my external environment: “Tell me of my God who you are not, tell me something about Him.” And with a great voice they cried out: “He made us . . . We are not God” and again “He made us.” (Saint Augustine, Confessions)

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Yeah, I’m excited opening day of hunting season has arrived. I’m looking forward to being in the outdoors, reuniting with God. 

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Jesus said, "For those who have ears to hear, let them hear."

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