"Dear Jesus, thank you for greenhead mallards" I blurted out unexpectedly as the sunlight beamed off the two big drakes circling our fakes. Being the one of our group who normally commands the silence and stillness when ducks are working, my hunting partners were caught off guard that morning with my worshipful outburst. In that moment, I could only credit the Creator for the brilliance illuminating from His creation.
In the minutes that followed, I thought aloud to my hunting partners: "If God gives us the incredible sights and sounds of the waterfowling world here on this earth, can you imagine what heaven will be like?" What is more captivating than the blue-green iridescence of sunlit greenhead mallards? Or what can match the graceful flight of a drake pintail? Or what sound will startle your heart more than a large flock of green-wing teal buzzing the blind, seemingly out of nowhere? And finally, what other habitat captures the creative nature of God than Arkansas's flooded green timber? If this earth is only a taste of what is to come, what then could our creator possibly have in store for us?
With the bountiful season now closed and another year of memories well documented with pen and camera, my mind and my heart are constantly drawn back to that morning. This reflection has not only led me to humble thankfulness, but hopeful anticipation of the Paradise to come. Because of Jesus' death and resurrection, His creation that would be used to condemn me, has now become His blessing for me. Romans 1:19-20 describes this unique role that creation plays in God's redemption story.
"...since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." (NIV)
Were it not for God's redemption plan for me, I would have never experienced greenhead mallards, drake pintails, green-winged teal, or flooded green timber as a show of God's majesty. This same majestic exhibit of the waterfowling world that is blessing to me now would be indictment for me. If not for Christ, my years of observing yet rejecting the invisible qualities of God would have required my just death to settle my debt of sin. But death was not His plan for me; He had plans for my future and plans to prosper me. In His perfect will, God saved me from the penalty of sin so that I may fully experience Him in both the general revelation of His creation and the specific revelation of His Word, Jesus Christ. My heart overflows with thanksgiving because even in this tradition rich sport of waterfowling I see the power of God's redemption for me!
It is from this thankful heart that I now long for the Paradise to come. Christ said that He left to go and prepare a place for us. Can you imagine what He is preparing? As much as I would like to think He is planting about 700 acres of hardwood timber that will mature and flood just as I arrive in Paradise, I am afraid that would be short-sided and self-centered. Remember, this Architect of Paradise told His followers on Earth that He could do more than we can infinitely imagine. The limitations of our broken down and sinful bodies are simply too great to even begin to surmise the enormity and perfect satisfaction that Paradise will offer. Will it be better than anything I have experienced in the field? Yes. Will it stir my heart with more passion that waterfowling? Yes. Will it tell of the old redemption story better than anything the existing creation can describe? YES, YES, YES! One day, the Master will come on His final hunting trip for me, and that is a day I long for in hopeful anticipation.
Will you join me in the hunts that we have left in this creation with humble thankfulness and hopeful anticipation of the Paradise to come? I look forward to seeing you there! I'll be the one in camo, and until then, "Get'em boys, Get'em!"
