Freedoms forgotten....

On this cold and still morning, I got up early and headed out to the deer woods.  Before I left, just like I do every morning, I was checking Facebook to see the newest posts from my friends.  All over Facebook it was posted about all the veterans and the freedoms they fought tirelessly for.  I thought of my wife's grandfather who fought in the army.  One of the only men in his battalion to make it home alive.  I thought of the tears in his eyes when he talks about doing what needed to be done.  I remembered my step-grandfather Herschel.  He fought in the army as well.  I remember him talking about Korea and the stories he told me as a child.  I wondered how it must of felt to get the draft notice in the mail.  I wondered what it was like to leave their family and go to foreign soil, more than likely to kill someone they didn't even know.  I thought about the sacrifice they gave to their country without reservation.  I thought about the sacrifice their families had to make.  I thought about all the friends they made in the service that came home in a wooden box or were never brought home at all.  

Then it hit me.

We take for granted the simple freedoms we have on a daily basis.  We get to wake up in our own homes.  We get in our vehicles and drive wherever we want to in this country.  We take our kids to the school we want them to go to.  We show up to our jobs that we chose for ourselves.  We can pass by a number of churches with different names on the sign and we can walk into all of them and worship.  We can walk into any super market and pick out the items we want to purchase.  

Tonight, at dinner, we asked our children what freedom was.  They gave the typical answers they have been taught at school.  I asked them to explain their answers and they couldn't.  I began to tell them about their family members who had served and the battles they had been a part of.  I told them about Grandpa Walter being the only one in his group to be alive.  I was able to explain to them how freedom was something we take for granted.  I told them about countries that little girls still don't get to go to school.  I told them about places where you can't read the bible without fear of your life.  They just looked at me like I was crazy.  They don't understand how much their freedoms cost.  They don't think about the life they have as being a freedom.  They don't understand the costs of the men and women who served this country have paid for their freedom.

We have gotten very comfortable in our lives as we know them.  We have forgotten our basic freedoms that were fought for so many years ago. 

Thank you to all the men and women who have fought for me and my family to live in the greatest country on the planet.  Thank you for sacrificing and staying the course for us to be free.  Thank you for teaching us what a unified nation can do.  Thank you for serving that we may be free.

"man, it's windy..."

It was a morning just like several others during deer season.  I woke up early to see if I could stick a deer with my compound bow.  My lovely wife, who acts as my alarm clock, woke me up at 5:15 am.  I rolled around in bed for a few minutes and decided to give it a chance even though the forecast looked glim.  I put on some shorts and shirt and headed out.  When I went outside, I thought to myself, "man it's windy."

As I drove to the property to hunt, I began to play out the process of how I was going to make sure I had every opportunity to slay one of the many big bucks I have been seeing on my trail cam.  Sitting in my truck driving north, I didn't notice how hard the south wind was blowing.  Driving to my parking spot, it seemed like any other morning, until I open my truck door to get my camo on.  When I began to open my door, the wind ripped it out of my hand and I thought to myself, "man, it's windy."

Standing beside my truck getting my scentlok camo on, I began to realize my chances of success were going to be hindered by the wind.  It was only blowing like 25 mph.   I walked my normal trail to my stand.  I could hear the wind ripping through the trees.  I could feel the wind on my face.  I climbed into my stand and began to get settled in.  Then I felt it, the tree began to sway in the wind.  This is a big tree too.  I stayed the course, going to tough it out and get the big one.

I sat there in the dark, holding my bow and then I started thinking, "man, it's windy."  It wasn't the normal breeze.  It was loud and hard, I couldn't hear anything but the wind.  I could see the grass in the field doubled over leaning to the north.  The leaves all around me sounded like thousands of papers being wadded up.  Birds were not chirping or I couldn't hear them.  As the sun came out, the clouds were rolling through the sky as if it were a river of light and smoke.

I realized my plan of success would have to be put on hold. I hate to admit, I was a little upset.  Since I was there, I figured I might as well just deal with it and see what might happen.  Doing what I always do as the sun comes up, God and I started talking.  He listens and I talk most of the time.  I seemed to be stuck on the wind today.  Couldn't get it off my mind.  I asked Him why he needed the wind.  I asked Him to stop it and let me kill a deer.  I asked Him what role the wind played in day to day activity other than bringing in a storm or change in the weather. 

Then I remembered a story in Mark chapter 4.

Jesus is asleep in the stern of the boat.  The wind was howling and the disciples were scared.  Real scared.  A major storm was happening.  Then Jesus steps out on the deck and tells the wind to stop and be still.  His disciples looked at each other and asked just exactly who He was.  Who is this guy that the wind and rain listen?

Understanding another lesson from God, I realized He doesn't need the wind.  He controls the wind.  He is in charge of it all.  He calms the storms in real life and in our spiritual lives.  He is the end and the beginning.  He doesn't need me.  I need him.  When we put things in the right order and understand God doesn't need us, the wind doesn't matter anymore.  God doesn't serve us, we serve him.  God doesn't need our worship, He deserves it.  

I didn't see a deer, but I focused on God and he gave me what I needed to hear.  I think many times in life we focus on the wind and storms.  I don't know how the winds of life are affecting you, but just remember, God is in control.  He can tell the wind to stop.  He knows every hair on your head and He knows your thoughts.  I climbed down out of my stand, walked to the truck, took off my camo, and thought to myself, "man, it's windy."


What do you need to focus on?  
What is God needing to talk to you about?


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