Psalms 127: 3-5

Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. Like
arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in ones youth. Blessed is
the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put
to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.
           

Mark 10: 14-15

Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the
kingdom of God.  Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom
of God like a child shall not enter it.


Earlier this season, I had the great fortune of helping my daughter take her
first deer.  It was a very exciting time for both of us. We watched two does
work their way around a food plot for twenty minutes before one of them
presented her a shot that I felt comfortable she could make.  She waited
patiently until the doe positioned itself broadside to us at about 40 yards.
She squeezed the trigger slowly just like she was coached, and when the
rifle reported, the doe fell in its tracks.  I haven't had that much
excitement while deer hunting in a long time. I'm sure it would've been back
in my younger days, when my perspective on things was a little more
carefree.  That evening, I relived the feelings of excitement from some of
my earliest hunting memories through the emotions of my child.  This is
exactly what Jesus was saying in the book of Mark.  Something as simple as a
lizard in the tree stand does little to garner my attention while my
daughter thinks
of it as a grand event; a hen turkey or an armadillo may aggravate us
underneath our tree but our children will study their every move.  We should
take the time to step back and receive our experiences afield like a child.
God's work is around us every time we go out in the woods and we should
marvel in it the same way our children do.

As we enter the Christmas season, we as Christians take time to honor the
birth of Jesus Christ, who was sent to us by God.  Our children are also one
of our many gifts from God.  There is no better way to honor them than to
spend time with them and show them some of the natural wonders that God
provided us while spending time outdoors.

Sportsman's Tip:  Even after you get down from your tree stand, don't stop
hunting.  Quietly slip back to your truck stopping every few steps to check
out what's around you.  I have seen quite a few deer and even taken some
nice bucks just slipping through the woods.


Godspeed,

Tim Cooper