By Gary Miller
It seems that this time of year I get a hunting and fishing catalog or sales paper in the mail about every other day. When you think about all of the stores that sell the equipment we need, it’s easy to see why they are vying for our dollar. They know our funds are limited and in order to get our business, they will have to offer some hefty incentives. They also believe that while I may come for the bargain, I will leave with something else at regular price. It’s just good marketing. I can remember when I was very young, my dad would always go to a particular store to buy milk because this small-town and locally-owned store would always sell it at or below cost in order to get the people in the door. Each week a small ad in our local newspaper would let its readers know this was the place to shop. It must have worked because they continued this “low price on milk” practice until the owner retired. Again, this was good marketing.
Marketing is the approach one uses to make a product, event, or service known. Many times, the actual marketing is better than what is being marketed. The greatest tragedy, however, is when there is a new and worthwhile product that has been invented or discovered but nobody knows about it. Some discoveries are so great they demand others know. These kinds bring with them an obligation.
For instance, if I discovered a cure for cancer, its importance would obligate me to share it with the world. In the world of hunting and fishing nothing fits this category. In the spiritual world, to know the way to Heaven and yet keep it to oneself is the most tragic of all. Even if cancer is cured, the one who is cured will still eventually die. If Heaven is eternal and if Heaven is a place of no sickness or disease, then how to get there becomes the most important discovery. That is why those who know the way continue to share it. It is the most important discovery we have made and we not only want others to know this truth, but feel obligated to offer it to anyone who may have never heard.
Gary Miller can be reached via e-mail at gary@outdoortruth.org.