Jumping across the River we had some times that were just as wild, and one dad’s experience gave many of us a perspective change that’s helpful in these current times. Deetra had never been hunting and wanted his boys to experience things in life that he never got the chance to. Then once he learned about Kicking Bear hunts he knew he had to sign them up. He also wanted to tag along on hunt, so he joined the crew for the whole new experience. The guide and landowner Rick Teska said that when Deetra walked into the cabin he was amazed at all the beautiful deer mounts on the walls. “The whole cabin and hunting camp setting had him amazed,” Rick said. As Rick, Deetra, and DJ (the hunter) were walking out to the blind Rick looked back to make sure there were two people following him, but he saw that it was only DJ who walked close behind him. Staying calm, to not concern DJ, the two of them started walking back to find Deetra, and it didn’t take long. He was standing in the middle of a wide-open field, looking up, and completely stunned at the billions of stars in the clear, dark, morning sky. The portrait before him utterly stopped Deetra in his tracks, and the indescribable beauty God painted right in front of him left him paralyzed and awestruck.

As hunters and outdoorsmen we are blessed with experiencing these portraits regularly, but that being said who appreciated it more in that moment? Rick or Deatra? Neither was in the wrong, just like the memory Luke shares with us of the two sisters, Mary and Martha. While Martha was feverously working to prepare the food for their guests Mary was stopped from doing anything by the awe of Jesus and His words. Martha asked Jesus to have her sister help prepare, but Jesus said He couldn’t do that. Jesus says in Luke 10:38-42, “you (Martha) are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.” In these current times our perspective of the future can easily be stained dark, gloomy, and hopeless. We cannot let our vision be stained by this darkness because we all know how hard every type of stain is to get out of our clothes. BUT if we, like Mary, focus on one thing (Jesus), rather than worrying about the many, we will only be able to see the hope, joy, and peace we have in Jesus Christ as our Savior.