Spider Webs

It was my first hunt of the 2014 muzzleloader season and I decided to camp out in my blind for the day.  I’ve learned that when hunting it is impossible to continually stay focused on the hunting area watching for a deer to appear.  So, to help pass the time I always have a book with me and I also do a lot of nature watching. 

It is amazing how heightened your senses become when you are sitting quietly in the woods.  A single leaf falling off a tree and reaching the ground can be startling.  One piece of nature that caught my attention on this particular hunt was a spider web in the corner of my hunting blind.  The way the spider web glistened as the sun shone through it was beautiful and displayed the intricacies of the web. It reminded me of my third grade teacher, Mrs. Janelle Hammonds, reading Charlotte’s Web to our class.  The web in my blind did not have a Charlotte in it, but there was a small moth and several leaves ensnared in the web and it made me think about the spider webs of life.  The leaves entangled in the web had randomly fallen off the tree with no sense of direction and no ability to control where they landed.  In our lives, if we do not guard ourselves we can easily find ourselves trapped in webs…webs of hateful and negative speech, webs of lying, webs of self-pride, webs of greed, and the list goes on.  Unlike leaves floating aimlessly, we can chose to be alert and aware and not end up ensnared in dangerous webs.

Youth Hunt 2014

My most recent outdoor adventure was the 2014 Oklahoma youth hunt.  It was an absolutely beautiful weekend for spending time in God’s vast outdoor library.  We had made all the preparations to create a successful hunting environment for our youngest son, Isaac, on his youth hunt.  With a tree stand and a blind, corn feeders, sighted in gun and hunting clothes ready, we set out on the youth hunt adventure.  My husband hunted with our son during two morning hunts and I hunted with him during an evening hunt.  All the signs of deer were around our hunting spots, but alas, they did not make an appearance while we were there.

One of our older sons, Zach, was able to join us on this outdoor adventure, as well as some great friends, Kendal, Hali, Coston and Margo Repass.  Our sleeping quarters where we hunt is what we affectionately refer to as the “huntin’ shack.”  Our friends decided not to sleep in the “huntin’ shack” and brought a tent because their kiddos had been asking to sleep in a tent.  Much to my surprise, Hali, had never slept in a tent before that night.  Hali is a strong woman who runs marathons and I was excited to see how she would like her first tent camping experience.  She did great and I foresee more tent camping adventures in their future. The weekend consisted of a little hunting, sitting around the campfire and sharing stories, watching the kids play and having time to simply slow down from the hectic pace of everyday life and relax.

The best memory I will take away from our 2014 Oklahoma youth hunt adventure is the memory of a six year old boy praying for his friend.  Before the evening hunt, we all gathered and held hands to pray in God’s outdoor library.  Coston asked if he could say the prayer and I was almost in tears when he finished.  Hearing the sincerity of a 6 year old boy praying for God to help his friend Isaac get a deer and thanking God for camping was a very moving experience.

No deer = Unsuccessful Hunt:  NO WAY! 

These are the times that make great memories.  

Looks Can Be Deceiving

Today's outdoor adventure occurred a couple of years ago and reminds me that looks can be deceiving.

The house was in great need of new paint.  It had been eight years since it was last painted and the weather had taken its toll, causing the paint to fade and peel.  Some of the wood was like new, some just needed old paint scraped off and other pieces of wood were in such bad shape that they need to be replaced.

The temperature outside was near 100 degrees.  Add the Oklahoma humidity to that temperature, and it felt like 110 degrees.  This made painting the house a daunting task.  In those conditions, my only thoughts were how quickly I could get the job done.  I would paint an area where boards should have been repaired, but were not because of the heat and amount of work involved.  I stepped back to look at my handy work and thought, "looking at the house from the road, the new paint looks pretty good."  I thought that folks driving by the house would appreciate the look of the fresh paint.  I knew; however, that looks can be deceiving and the new paint was only a temporary cosmetic fix to a bigger problem that would have to be fixed in the near future.

This outdoor adventure made me think about our lives, and especially our lives as Christians.  Do we look "great" when people see us . . . physically fit, well groomed and organized like we have it all together.  Then, upon a closer look and getting to know each other, we actually see the scars left from different life experiences. Scars of hurting hearts that need mending or of hopes and dreams that need to be fulfilled.  

As Christians it is not always easy to let others see us up close, with our "peeling paint and broken boards."  We don't want to be like the house I was painting and only look good from a distance. We don't want our appearance as a Christian to be deceiving.  Should it not be our goal to look as good up close and personal as we do from a distance?

1 Peter 3:3-5New King James Version (NKJV)
3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. 

1 Samuel 16:7New King James Version (NKJV)
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees;[a] for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”