Learn from the Deer Hunter by Cindy Rushton

I just had a very interesting “chat” with my sweetheart. There are times that I just sit back in awe of his wisdom. It changes my life.

Today, we were talking about how different men and women are. We, women, could learn a lot about balance by studying men, especially the deer hunters!

Wonder where I am going with this one? Stick with me!

Here in the South something happens every year to multitudes of men. They disappear! Don’t worry. They DO come back. But, you can set your calendar by them.

Those who are married to them know what I mean without me writing it. All I have to say is “deer hunter” and they know what to expect with these guys, especially as the seasons turn.

So, why do I say, “Learn from the deer hunter?” I think that we, as wives and mothers, can learn some great lessons from the deer hunter. They might not be what you are thinking…

Be Disciplined.

Harold is no longer a deer hunter, but he is a National Field Target Champion–another article on another day. Yet, Harold and I were talking about the lessons we can learn from the deer hunter. If we slow down and study them, we can find secrets to LIVING!

Probably the most important lesson comes from the boundaries that they set. They are disciplined. These guys set firm boundaries upon their work so they can carve out the time to get in the woods. For the young newlywed, this may be very frustrating and alarming unless they learn from them. Well, actually I need this one!

My life is filled with obligations and commitments that each could take up all of my time. I have been like this all of my life. I homeschooled my children from the pre-school years until they both graduated. Ask any homeschooling mother–homeschooling COULD take 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and STILL not get everything done that you want to get done. I have had a home business for over 20 years. Enough said? I LOVE having a home business, but nothing can squeeze out LIFE like a business. The biggest “con” to having a home business is that it can be like a demanding toddler–requiring that everything be ALL about it!

We all have things that we are to do that we never have enough time to do. What if we learned from the deer hunter? One thing that they DO very well is set limits on “work” so they can have time to LIVE. It is not an irresponsibility. It is a discipline. We could all stand to learn this lesson! so, the first lesson from the deer hunter is to be disciplined. Set things in their place in your day. Limit them. Make time  to live. It is a discipine!

Be Prepared!

I remember as a young wife being very perplexed about why someone would need all of the STUFF that a deer hunter tends to compile. Yes, it LOOKED like stuff! Now, years later, I see how essential the “stuff” is. It is not just stuff. These guys look for tools so they are prepared for the deer hunt. The tools make a difference in their success.

Likewise, we can learn A LOT from the deer hunter. We are only as successful as we are prepared. If we do not invest in the tools that we need to be a success, we will not be prepared for our calling. So many of us try to “get by” with what we have. In the meantime, we are operating on bare minimum. We need to learn from the deer hunter–if something is important to us, we should invest our very best into that thing. Investing is not an extra, it is an essential. We cannot go out there empty handed and expect the same results as the person who has prepared and invested their very best. Yes, we must learn from the deer hunter. Invest. Be prepared!

Embrace the Season!

Well, if there is anyone who anticipates, prepares for, and soaks in the new season, it is the deer hunter! They look for the new season and jump in with full enthusiasm like no one else!

Boy, do we need this lesson! What is it about me that always wants for things to stay the same way. I really have to be intentional about change, otherwise, I resist it.

This year, I have moved into a new season of womanhood. I love it. It is sweeter than ever before. But, talk about an inner turmoil. I really enjoyed the last season of my life. It was a time that was very sweet and precious. It seems to me that the more I enjoy a season, the more difficult to move into the next season. I always enjoy it more and more, but it is the unknown that gets me!

When I think of the deer hunter, they have an anticipation for the next season. Their vision is crystal-clear. They gear up for months looking forward to the next season. Oh! To be like a deer-hunter! I am trying. I promise!

I want to embrace the season and not miss even one day. I want to embrace the season every moment–not moving into it slowly or reluctantly, but anticipating and preapring to enjoy every single moment. Yep! I am learning this lesson from the deer hunter. I want a big, big season FULL to overflowing!

Enjoy Life!

I know that there are many other things we could learn, but this is perhaps my biggest lesson that I have learned from the deer hunter. Life flies by. It is so easy to get busy working hard and miss life along the way. I have been the wife who resented my husband for deer hunting… and target practicing… and sailing… and flying. It didn’t stop there. I also resented his education and even his work from time to time.

I was a young stay-at-home mother who could have done ANYTHING with my time that I wanted, but there was something in me that felt guilty if I did things enjoyable when there were so many things that needed to be done. I became a martyr (with a bad attitude). I died to myself. I sacrificed things that I enjoyed. Isn’t that the “godly” thing to do? I spent my time on things for my family.

Don’t get me wrong. I loved my family. I was not all bad. But, somewhere along the way, I lost the point. It is NOT more godly to do the “ball and chain” work than the things that bring beauty into our home. It is NOT more godly to work than to play a bit. In fact, I think it is interesting that God is so specific (even in the 10 Commandments) that we need to rest and  recreate.
Just studying the life of Christ, we see His balance. He did have a big call, a big mission. Yet, He lived so different from how we live. I love His prayer in John 17:4 in The Message, “I glorified you on earth by completing down to the last detail what you assigned me to do.” He did the work, but He also enjoyed life. He does give us work to do, but also He did all He did on our behalf so we could have “life” and that life “more abundant.”

My husband tells me that nothing could be more peaceful, quiet, and refreshing than deer hunting, not so much because of “getting the deer” as much as getting away from the mundane and pulling apart to experience life!

I don’t know about you, but I NEED to remember this regularly. I can promise that I am not going to take up hunting, but I am crying out for that time apart to really soak in God’s creation and LIVE. Yep! I am going to learn this one from the deer hunter!

What about you?

Many of you may be finding yourselves “widowed” during this time of year. Maybe you have been like me and missed the lessons that you could learn from your deer hunter. How about learning from them today? It may be the lesson that helps you to really live and enjoy the journey. It could be the lesson that helps you to live a life that is abundant.

So, today, pull up your chair and learn from the deer hunter!