Did you ever ride with someone who loves to hunt? I used to ride with a guy who was a big deer hunter, and every time we would come up to an open field he would start poking and twitching his head around like a chicken. He would be driving, mind you, but that didn't matter. The risk of driving into a telephone pole or another motorist would have been worth it, especially if he actually spotted one. Sometimes I would mess with him. I would spring up in my seat and get really excited and start pointing and shouting - "Over there, over there!" He would go crazy. His eyes would turn into targets, and his head would start going. And then I would point out a bird or a tree. I would say things like- "Did you see that Oak Tree? That thing really had a lot of branches, let's pull over so I can grab one and put it on my wall in my living room". I've never seen someone go from happy to sad that quickly before in all my life. His body must have went through a lot in those few moments. From his adrenaline pumping out of his skin, to a limp, sagging body. It was an awesome sight to behold, and I'm sure all the deer in heaven were rolling with me.
As you can guess, I'm not a hunter - not against it, just can't do it. I can barely pass roadkill without gagging, let alone reach my hand inside a steaming hot animal whose life I just ended...excuse me....gglllahhck...gllllaaaughck...sorry. To all hunters, I give you props, I covet your steel stomachs and gag reflexes or lack thereof.
For me you could say that my "deer" is sports, and the passion that I've had for them goes way back to when I was a kid. One day while playing football with the other neighborhood kids in my backyard, I had to go to the bathroom, which was about a hundred yards away. I did not want to go. I couldn't bear the thought of missing another play. I fought it and fought it until I couldn't fight it anymore. I quickly ran to the house, up the stairs and tore off my clothes and slammed my butt on the pot in frustration and anger. I remember sitting there complaining to God and whining to my intestines. Seriously, I was actually angry at my bowels. I also remember sitting there for a long time. God had me right where he wanted me, and I couldn't do anything about it. I went from anger and irritation to embarrassment and shame in a matter of minutes.
As I finished up and started walking across the backyard I reflected on what just happened. Did I really just get mad for having to go number two? Was I really yelling at my intestines? The answer, sadly, was yes. The reality slapped me across the face the whole way back to the game. Instead of me playing football, football was playing me. The very thing that I could hold in my hand was now holding me.
Sports to this day still tries to get a hold of me, still tries to control me, still tries to get the edge in my life. Thankfully, I've learned to put the ball down. I've learned to say no when it tries to climb another rung on my priority ladder. But we need to know that when we set down one thing, the devil will already be dangling something else in our faces. We have to remind ourselves every day that we've already got the best thing out there. The Creator of every thing chose us as His prized possession. The God of the Universe, who has limitless power, wisdom and creativity, who made everything wanted us the most. Let that hit you where it should.
Romans 1:24-25 (The Message)
24-25 So God said, in effect, "If that's what you want, that's what you get." It wasn't long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us.
So, what is holding you? It's not that sports and hunting are wrong. It's just that they need to be enjoyed in the right quantities and doses. We can't make the things we enjoy in this life, things that were given to us, into something they were never meant to be. What about you? What's in your life that's squeezing a little too tight? Busyness? Noise? Money? Possessions? Work? When you don't have them, what are you mumbling? When God isn't our greatest joy, when we search and find fulfillment in other things, we're basically trading the house for a pigpen. We need to know and believe that God is what we're really looking for and longing for and that the grass really isn't greener on the other side.
My friends it's time to evaluate what's truly most important to you right now. Ask yourself, if I didn't have this, what would I do, how would I react? Maybe the best thing to do is to just let it go. Maybe for you, it's releasing what's filling your hands so that you're able to pick up and hold what God has been trying to give you.
As a dad, I love holding my daughter's hand, but I love it even more when she's holding it back.
Hold tight and enjoy the journey.
As you can guess, I'm not a hunter - not against it, just can't do it. I can barely pass roadkill without gagging, let alone reach my hand inside a steaming hot animal whose life I just ended...excuse me....gglllahhck...gllllaaaughck...sorry. To all hunters, I give you props, I covet your steel stomachs and gag reflexes or lack thereof.
For me you could say that my "deer" is sports, and the passion that I've had for them goes way back to when I was a kid. One day while playing football with the other neighborhood kids in my backyard, I had to go to the bathroom, which was about a hundred yards away. I did not want to go. I couldn't bear the thought of missing another play. I fought it and fought it until I couldn't fight it anymore. I quickly ran to the house, up the stairs and tore off my clothes and slammed my butt on the pot in frustration and anger. I remember sitting there complaining to God and whining to my intestines. Seriously, I was actually angry at my bowels. I also remember sitting there for a long time. God had me right where he wanted me, and I couldn't do anything about it. I went from anger and irritation to embarrassment and shame in a matter of minutes.
As I finished up and started walking across the backyard I reflected on what just happened. Did I really just get mad for having to go number two? Was I really yelling at my intestines? The answer, sadly, was yes. The reality slapped me across the face the whole way back to the game. Instead of me playing football, football was playing me. The very thing that I could hold in my hand was now holding me.
Sports to this day still tries to get a hold of me, still tries to control me, still tries to get the edge in my life. Thankfully, I've learned to put the ball down. I've learned to say no when it tries to climb another rung on my priority ladder. But we need to know that when we set down one thing, the devil will already be dangling something else in our faces. We have to remind ourselves every day that we've already got the best thing out there. The Creator of every thing chose us as His prized possession. The God of the Universe, who has limitless power, wisdom and creativity, who made everything wanted us the most. Let that hit you where it should.
Romans 1:24-25 (The Message)
24-25 So God said, in effect, "If that's what you want, that's what you get." It wasn't long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us.
So, what is holding you? It's not that sports and hunting are wrong. It's just that they need to be enjoyed in the right quantities and doses. We can't make the things we enjoy in this life, things that were given to us, into something they were never meant to be. What about you? What's in your life that's squeezing a little too tight? Busyness? Noise? Money? Possessions? Work? When you don't have them, what are you mumbling? When God isn't our greatest joy, when we search and find fulfillment in other things, we're basically trading the house for a pigpen. We need to know and believe that God is what we're really looking for and longing for and that the grass really isn't greener on the other side.
My friends it's time to evaluate what's truly most important to you right now. Ask yourself, if I didn't have this, what would I do, how would I react? Maybe the best thing to do is to just let it go. Maybe for you, it's releasing what's filling your hands so that you're able to pick up and hold what God has been trying to give you.
As a dad, I love holding my daughter's hand, but I love it even more when she's holding it back.
Hold tight and enjoy the journey.
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