OUTDOOR TRUTHS

 Cabin fever has never been higher. The weather in my neck of the woods has been very uncooperative. I can't remember a winter with this much snow in several years. And even when the snow relented, it usually left behind temperatures that were almost unbearable for a Tennessee boy. I think global warming took a winter off.
 I've got big plans in the next few weeks to come face to face with some giant Alabama crappie. I think I'm looking as forward to putting some in my freezer as I am putting some in the boat. Alabama hosts some of the best lakes for late winter crappie that I have witnessed. And I might just find the temperatures a little warmer as well. Until then, I'll just keep shoveling and shivering until spring.
 I wonder however, how anyone can actually claim cabin fever any more. With the television, internet, and cell phones, there is never a reason to not be up-to-date on just about anything going on in the world. And with the invention of virtual reality, one can actually do whatever he or she desires through their computer and never leave the house.
 Virtual reality, for those who might not know, is simply a computer simulated environment. Through a computer and by wearing headgear that offers visual and sound effects, a person can put himself in an environment that otherwise he might never get to experience. This of course has been used over the years in our military and in other training purposes. For instance, most of us have heard of flight simulators that are used for training pilots. These simulators put the trainee in a setting that is meant to replicate the real thing. If the pilot passes the simulator test, he is ready for the real thing.
 Some of the things in life that all of us go through are difficulties. The Bible calls these trials. It really is a very good word to describe these hardships. Now, not all trouble fits into the category of trials, but many do and will. A trial is an unexpected difficulty that comes about in our life without any doing from us. It may be an unforeseen job loss or even an unexpected illness. These trials are things that God allows in order to build our faith for the real tests of temptation and the bigger tests of trust.
 Before an athlete could compete in our Olympics, he first must make it through the Olympic trials. (There's that word again.) The trial will get him ready for the real thing.
 Are you going through one of these trials? Have you been hit by an unforeseen problem? Is it one that you were forced into? If so, recognize it for what it really is. It is a God simulated environment that is meant to get you ready for the big plans He has for you in the real world, where it matters most.

Gary Miller
gary@outdoortruths.org