In having 3 children, the last one being a total surprise, I am waiting for THE big day with my youngest. I've had the wonderful opportunity for my other two children; however, I still have some time to wait for the third. What is that big day -- taking them to the woods for the first time. My wife
told me that I could take my kids into the woods hunting when they turned 3.
When my son hit that age during his birthday month several years ago, I had been preparing for quite some time to go to the woods with him. I have my climbing stand and a safety harness for me; but, I
did not have anything for him. Knowing that my wife would never allow me
in the woods without a way to secure him from falling, I had been experimenting
with several leather belts to fashion a harness for him. I took him into
the garage and tested it a few times and it worked (I was also doing that to
make sure he would be okay with it). We had a wonderful snow here in NC,
so I knew that right after the snow would be the perfect time!!
As we were walking to the tree
stand, my son was crunching just about every leaf he could find. I motioned
for him to stop, but he kept walking. A big deer jumped up and bounded
off in the distance; so he, at least, got to see a deer. I placed him in
the make-shift harness and I climbed the tree leaving him on the ground.
After climbing about 15 feet up the tree, I secured myself to the tree, sat
down, and slowly started lifting him toward me. Everything was going
perfectly and then “IT” happened. He shifted and flipped himself upside
down. My heart dropped because I was afraid that he was going to scream. I asked if he was okay, and he said yes. After a pause, he
starts giggling and said, “Daddy, I'm flying!!” He was having a
blast!
He sat in my lap for about 30
minutes, and we watched all sorts of birds and squirrels. He was looking down
at the snow and just enjoyed the quiet time in the woods. He turned
around and grabbed my checks to whisper: “Daddy, go home.” I knew
he has reached his 3 year old limit and began the process of lowering him to
the ground. He tried to jump off the stand because he wanted to fly
again. As I was lowering him down, he flipped upside down again and,
shortly thereafter, that giggle started as well. I enjoyed that time with
my son because time alone is few and far between with him. Below is a
quick picture I snapped of us up in the tree….
For those of you that wonder about my trip with my little girl, well, it was not as eventful. By the time she was 3, I had purchased a safety harness; and she climbed up that deer stand like she was born to do so. Needless to say, daddy was proud - pink camo hat and all!! As I thought about those events, several spiritual lessons emerged in my mind:
(1) Life is not a series of accidents because it is a series of appointments (Warren Wiersbe). As my son, literally, had his world
turned upside down, he enjoyed the experience. Instead of being overcome
with fear, he saw this experience as a chance to have fun. How often do
we see the negative side of everything instead of looking for the
positive? The answer is simple — too often!! We need to remember God's admonition that "all things work together for good to those that love God" (Romans 8:28).
(2) Changing your point of
view is initially unsettling but can be highly enjoyable. Every time I have been
hunting, I have seen the same thing — the world right-side up. My son, on
the other hand, has seen both perspectives; and he laughed both times he was
upside down. Clearly, he enjoyed the change of perspective and it allowed
him to appreciate things in a different manner. Psalm 56:3 tells us that we should trust God when we are afraid. Look beyond the fear and focus on our Heavenly Father. That means that we have to shift our focus off self and look at it through the Sovereign Lord of the Universe. He designed it and is a God of order. The joy is in letting go of the anxiety by being anxious about nothing but carrying them to God in prayer (Philippians 4:6).
(3) Solitude is the
strength of the soul. The hustle-and-bustle of “regular” life can be
demanding and draining. We must ensure that we take time to get away from
it all at least once a month. Those times allow for you to clear your
mind and see things in a different light. If we do not take care of our
inner spirit, then our external work will suffer. We gain strength by
reflection, and true reflection requires solitude. As a leader, it is
okay to build in “down-time” into your life. In fact, I would say it is a
requirement! I reference this a lot, but never forget Psalm 46:10 -- "be still and know that I am God." The first step is the hardest -- being still! Put time into your life so that you can be still because removing all the distractions is necessary to realize and apply who God really is.
