3 Ways Thankfulness is Like Hunting
It’s hunting season! I look forward to it all year long. I love being in the woods, surrounded by nature. Sometimes I take my dog, Jack. Sometimes I’m alone. Sometimes the equipment is different, the company is different, or the season is different, but there are certain things that hunting always involves. The same is true with thankfulness.
So, how is thankfulness like hunting, you ask? Here’s how.
They both require stillness. Even the novice hunter knows that if you’re moving around a lot in the woods, the woods - and all the inhabitants OF the woods - will know you are there. To be a good hunter, you’ve got to learn to be still. Sometimes, you have to be still for a LONG time! Thankfulness can be the same way. When we are busy and occupied, we often overlook things that we should be thankful for. Take our families or loved ones, for example. When our careers, extra curricular activities, or other responsibilities are consuming us, we don’t take time to notice and value those around us. We focus on tasks or distractions rather than moments. Now, I don’t mean like a Netflix “stillness”. That’s entirely a different thing. I mean the intentional stopping what you’re doing in order to “be” in the moment and observe your surroundings.
They both require quietness. Just like stillness, a hunter has to be quiet. Any noise can be the downfall of a hunter. Animals have an acute alertness to hear any sound around them, especially one that may mean danger. They listen. And when they hear things, they respond. We should take a lesson from them in this. How often is the noise around us - the busyness of life, the distraction of entertainment, or the voice of social media - so loud that we don’t “hear” or see the things in life that we should be thankful for? When was the last time you quieted your heart to notice the beauty and gifts around you that you should be thankful for? When was the last time you gave thanks for what you HAVE, rather than work for things you WANT?
They both require a target. Anyone who knows me knows that I love deer season. I also, however, love duck season… and pheasant season, and turkey season, and… the list goes on. BUT, when I’m hunting for deer, I’m watching for deer. I’m not watching for squirrels, or turkeys, or bears (well, maybe I’m watching for bears, but for self-preservation, not hunting). I’m attentively LOOKING for deer. I’m watching for evidence of deer. I’m noticing signs of deer in the area. When I’m WATCHING for evidence of deer, I NOTICE evidence of deer. Isn’t that the same with thankfulness? If we are in tune to what God is doing around us, we NOTICE things that He is doing. We NOTICE things to be thankful for. If our eyes are on a different target, like our jobs, our activities, our hardships, our things… then we can MISS the good things. When we are intent on our target - the good things that God has given us, or is doing in our lives (even through hard things), we NOTICE them. We see their evidence. Our lives are changed.
When we keep these factors in mind, our hearts are drawn to thankfulness. We can be thankful even in the hard things, because we can see them working together for our good. So, let’s be hunters of thankfulness!