June 18, 2012
Today's Photograph . . . . A Glimpse of Misery (MQ) |
I Thessalonians 5: 16-18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (NKJV)
Many
of us would love to spend every day hiking, fishing, or hunting. We
would love to always have enough money to pay our bills, and still have
enough for the latest rifle, scope, fishing lures, gas, truck, ammo,
out-of-state licenses, cabin, or camping trailer. But, this is not
reality for most of us. Our days are not perfect. They are filled with
financial burdens, not enough vacation time, family stresses, illnesses,
and struggles. We live in a not so perfect world trying to live for
Christ.
One deer hunt when I was about 14, my
brother-in-law had killed a buck in the late afternoon on the backside
of a mountain that my family had deservingly nicknamed "Misery
Mountain." This mountain had shale slides, cactus, and was so steep that
one could stay standing and still lean against the mountain to rest.
Everyone went to retrieve that distant trophy with a burro, except my
mother and me. We had the job of feeding the fire just in case those on
the mountain did not make it back by night fall.
Just
as the sun was going down, we saw our hunting party make it over the
ridge of Misery to retrieve the deer. We knew we were in for a wait. We
had gathered our wood or what you can in the desert. The night was quiet
as the darkness settled around us. We waited as long as we could to
light the fire to preserve our wood supply. The night grew colder and
the darkness grew thicker. Mom had hunted with dad since she was 17. She
was a good sport, outdoor woman, and a great hunter herself.
She
decided we would light the fire, but we also needed to hike with a
small flashlight across a dry gully to another hill in order to gather
more wood. At 100 yards from that life reassuring fire, we suddenly
heard something crashing through the brush. Minutes later came the high
pitched, spine-tingling scream of a mountain lion.
Mom,
with a quiet resolve stated it was time to walk back to that fire. Hours
later we would sporadically see our hunting party's flashlight way up
high on Misery. They were trying to save their light and would use it
sparingly.
I Thessalonians 5:5-6
instructs us, "For you are all sons of light and sons of the day; we do
not belong either to the night or to darkness. Accordingly then,
let us not sleep, as the rest do, but let us keep wide awake (alert,
watchful, cautious, and on our guard) and let us be sober (calm,
collected, and circumspect)," (Amplified).
(Rebecca L)
Action Point
Mom
and I were very alert waiting alone in that AZ wilderness. We felt much
better when we made it back unscathed to our fire. It was even more
reassuring when we could finally sporadically see a small flashlight
beam of our hunting party maneuvering down that mountain. We didn't feel
so alone.
That hunting experience is so like life.
We can become so bogged down with making a living that we don't take
time to see the "Light". God has sent us His Word as a light to light
our path. He has a plan for our lives. It is up to us to be joyful, to
pray for His guidance and protection, to be alert, and self-controlled.
He will be with us in the scary unknown times. He offers His love and
protection. All we need to do is believe and trust Him for His care.
Sportsmen's Tip of the Day
Become
familiar with your local fauna. You never know when your simple hunting
experience will last long into the night. You can eat the leaves and
roots of the dandelion in a salad or as cooked greens. You can also dry
the whole plant and use it to make tea. You can also eat the shoots of
Cattails. Before the flower forms, you can peel the shoots and eat them.
Acorns have very low sugar content and are great in breads and stews.
The Native Americans would grind acorns to make them into flour. Make
sure you do not mistake a similar looking plant for the one you choose
to eat. A field guide for edible plants is recommended.
