By Gary Miller
I’m glad that, every now and then, everything comes together. The stars are in order, Jupiter aligns with Mars, and the light at the end of the tunnel is actually a light. It’s especially good when it comes to deer hunting. There’s only been a few times in my hunting life this has happened. It’s when the dream in the tree stand actually comes to pass.
That’s not to say that I only dream of Pope and Young bucks, but it is to say that everything goes as hoped for. Over the years that’s not happened much. I guess that’s what makes me keep going out. I can remember one hunting trip that was one of those seldom events. It was a nearly perfect experience. I saw bucks every day and arrowed a nice one on the last day.
What made the trip so great was not only my harvest but the whole experience, from the cold weather, to the amount of deer I was able to watch. It was the good company, good food, being able to hunt in a state that I had never hunted in, and being in the woods during the beginning of the rut. I was extremely blessed. Even though these extraordinary days are not the norm, most of my days in the woods or on the water are filled with wonderful memories and experiences. If it were not so, I’d quit going.
In fact, most of our lives are filled with more blessings than blunders. And even though we may not win the lottery, we are blessed each day with things we take for granted, like food, shelter, and health. It seems odd to me when something bad does happen, we are quick to bemoan our lot and even question the goodness of God. The Biblical Job posed a wise question to his wife when she implored him to deny God. He said, “Should we only accept good things from the hand of God, and never anything bad?”
That scripture always puts me safely back in my place when I find myself pouting about a bad experience. No, the odds are still in my favor. The good things that God has blessed me with far outweigh the occasional hardships that he allows. Have you been complaining lately about a certain situation you’re in? Perhaps you need to get out your calculator and compare your blessings with your burdens. I think we both know which one will come out on top.
Gary Miller can be reached via e-mail at gary@outdoortruths.org.