Lessons From the Hunt

It’s shortly after sunrise on a cold November morning. All around me were the sounds of the awakening woods, and the encroaching of sunlight into the dark, cold hollow which sat between three mountains in the middle of a 312 acre farm. I had been there since before sunup that morning and “prime time” couldn’t come soon enough. The birds and squirrels began to hustle out of their nests, but there was one animal I was waiting for. I sat in my tree stand with my rifle lying beside me, and with my arms crossed in an effort to keep warm. I was beginning to think this was going to be another useless hunt when I suddenly heard a loud crash of sticks and leaves. I looked to the left, thinking it was probably one of those squirrels that had been annoying me since they got up, but not this time.


But before I could say, “deer.” There it was. It was near 80 yards away, and had seen me jump in surprise. I began scrambling to try and get ready before he left. I shook myself to reality, grabbed my 30-30, placed it on the gun rest, cocked the hammer, removed the safety, and looked through the scope just in time to see it running off back in the direction it came from. I had missed a golden opportunity at getting a deer all because I was not prepared.
This unfortunate event happened in the latter part of November last year. And for those of you who are sitting there scratching your head, I promise you this is all going somewhere :)


Yes, if you’ve looked at my profile, or you know me personally, you know that I enjoy hunting! There are many reasons why I do, but here are a few, five to be exact: First of all, I think every man ought to know how to shoot a gun (What man doesn’t want to deep down inside?). Second, it gives a man an awesome feeling when he is able to go out with his own gun and provide for his family by putting supper on the table. Third, it makes for great bonding time between father and son, and grandfather and grandson. Fourth, it instills outdoor skills that all young men should have. And fifth, I’ve found it makes for an excellent time to talk to the Lord!


Around Thanksgiving and Christmas every year, Dad, Papaw, Jonathan (my older brother), and I love going hunting together. While I love hunting with both bow and muzzleloader, my favorite season of all is rifle. I look forward to pulling my 30-30 out of the gun case every year. And I love coming back home after a hunt a talking it over with the family. However, there is a point
I’m driving at here and I want to share it with you.


Anyone who hunts knows what goes in to having a successful hunt. It takes preparation (finding the deer’s favorite spots, getting the gear, the license etc...), and it takes patience. As I said, I hunt bow and muzzleloader. That means, for me, the hunting season opens at the beginning of October and ends toward the latter part of January. Some days we sit in tree stands for 5 or more hours without seeing anything. Other days we might see 10 deer but never get a shot. It’s just one of those things that takes time.


But here’s my question. Why do we not get this excited about the coming of our Lord Jesus? We sit in tree stands, for hours at a time, scanning the woods, watching, hoping we never miss a glimpse of it. How much more ought we to be anticipating the coming of our Lord! Just as with hunting, we must prepare for Christ’s coming. This begins by making sure we are prepared as individuals. Just as we make proper preparations before a hunt, so we should make sure that when Christ returns, we’ll be going with Him. This also means doing some scouting; finding those areas where the gospel of our Lord must be spread and taking it there. First and foremost, this applies to our families! How do we prepare our families? Deuteronomy 6 makes it quite clear. We are to talk of Christ when we sit in the house, when we walk by the way, when we lie down, and when we rise up. Scripture should be placed in prominent places in our homes so our children know what really matters to mommy and daddy, and so that all those who enter know that Christ is the center piece in this family.


However, writing scripture on the walls of our house just isn’t enough. I believe every father should instruct his family in the ways of the Lord by leading them in family devotions. Now, a lot of us shutter at the phrase “family devotions,” because we don’t, truly, know what it involves. Let me clear the air. Family devotions is not something fancy or formal, like a church service. It is a time when the family prays together, sings together, reads, and memorizes Scripture together. Now, granted, this means that the father of the household must be a man who devotes himself to careful study of the Word on a daily basis, but this isn’t meant to be a miniature church service, nor is it intended to replace church; not at all. Family devotions are designed to re-enforce what the family is learning when gathered among fellow believers in Christ. Here at our house, we’ve been doing family devotions every night for as long as I can remember. However, we don’t do it as well as we could. But God is gracious, and He has and is using a number of resources (from books to conferences), to help us figure out what we should be doing, and what we should be doing better.


We can also take part in reaching both our community, and the whole world with the gospel; either by going ourselves, if called, or supporting others to go. We can do this by partnering with others in prayer and by supporting them financially. We must make sure that we do our part in helping others prepare for the coming of Christ.


But, this also takes patience. Just as it takes patience to get a deer, it takes patience to wait for our Lord. But, just as we eagerly await that first glimpse of a deer, we should eagerly await the day when our Lord will be seen in the clouds! And if we have made proper preparations we will rejoice at the sight! However, if we have not, we will look back on that day and say, “If only....” I looked back on the day I spotted that deer in late November every day for at least a week. Until, later that season, the same ole’ deer showed up again. This time, though, I was ready, and this time I rejoiced at the sight!


Christ might not come in your lifetime, he might not come in your children’s lifetime. But we should be living each day as though Christ is coming. We should be preparing the next generation to cast this vision on to the next and to the next, leaving a multigenerational legacy of kingdom minded children!


I say all this to encourage you. I by no means live every day in full anticipation of Christ, but the hunting season has my wheels turning =) Just maybe, God will use this as a daily reminder to me to be ever preparing and waiting for the day He returns! So, the next time you go hunting, think about Christ’s return, and ask yourself, “Am I eagerly preparing and patiently awaiting the glorious return of my Redeemer?”

In Christ,
Josh