Seasons

I pray each of you finds the greatest trophy of all this hunting season – a recognition of and a deepening relationship with the One who gives us these activities to freely enjoy …

As I write this, many of us are eagerly awaiting the start of deer season. Some will soon be perched in a pine or hardwood somewhere around the 20 ft. mark waiting for old Mr. High-horns or Mrs. Slick-head to make a debut to this year’s tailgate party. Some will hit the woods sooner than others with a bow in hand while others will follow up a while later when the gun seasons open up. Either way, the long-awaited seasons for hunting will soon be here…and then sooner-than-we-wish, be nothing more than a glimpse in life’s rearview mirror. And that’s the nature of a season – it comes and it goes – with the getting here taking forever and the going happening way too quickly.

I’m hearing myself say this in a very aged man’s voice – “Back in my day, the best day of the year was the opening morning of squirrel season.” As a boy, I anticipated that event with all the eagerness of an early bird searching for that first worm of the morning. Sometimes we’d go camping close to home; sometimes we’d take a road trip to a game reserve in the northern part of the state. But it was always time with Dad and just the guys! Later on when Dad admitted that he didn’t like squirrel hunting and I thought I was too cool to be with him anyway, it became the “Weekend Adventures of Robbie and John Boy”! Both seasons were enjoyable, but both seasons are now gone, having left only memories and a few scars to verify they ever existed. Those were great seasons!

When I became a dad myself, I was determined to build those same traditions with my boys as well. With both Derrick and Trey, we made it a yearly opening-morning adventure to float down a stretch of the Calcasieu River casting lines for bass while periodically pulling into an old slough to venture out into the woods to find an old bushy-tail or two. But as I did with my dad so long ago, my boys got older and the allure of opening day with dad faded into new adventures with buddies. And just like that – this season was over.

Looking back, I realize that what I loved most about the opening of squirrel season wasn’t the squirrels at all – it was being away from the norm with the person I admired more than any other – My Dad. I hope that was at least part of the reason my boys enjoyed those seasons with their old man while they lasted as well. And to put a biblical slant on this little writing, I’m realizing more and more as I get older and hopefully wiser that my great affinity for the opening of hunting season has far less to do with the critters I’m pursuing and more to do with the Creator who is relentlessly pursuing me. As David spoke in Psalm 139, I’m learning that the Lord is ever going before me and following behind me so that I may glimpse His greatness and stand in awe of His lovingkindness. And I am becoming more and more aware that the Lord’s goodness and mercy are following me every step of every day of my life as Psalm 23 communicates. These are the seasons of deepening faith that far outweigh any trophy from the woods that might be taken!

Seasons – they come and they go. I do indeed wish each of you well in these upcoming hunting seasons. May your tags be filled as well as your freezers! Beyond that, however, I pray each of you finds the greatest trophy of all this hunting season – a recognition of and a deepening relationship with the One who gives us these activities to freely enjoy – 1 Timothy 6:17. And perhaps when our paths cross at a tailgate celebration this season, we can swap stories of our experiences and trophies – both the furry ones and the eternal ones! Enjoy the season, and I’ll see you later – In the Great Outdoors!