 Posted on Wed, Jul 21, 2010 Several years ago an opportunity for my wife and I to buy a house in Southern Indiana presented itself. So we did a reverse Clampetts and "moved away from there" from the city to the country. Now for the most part I have always lived in the suburbs or in a city, never in a small town let alone in a rural area. I learned quickly that fishing and hunting are a big thing to do in these parts. The fishing was no problem. I already had a tackle box and a couple of poles. Despite living in the land of tract housing and parking lots it's not hard to find a place to wet a line. But shooting squirrels in a city park will get you arrested really quick. So when I moved down here I had nothing in the line of hunting gear. No tree stands, no scent blocking soaps to wash me or my clothing (which I had none), no guns or archery equipment. I found clothing can be bought from the local big box store pretty cheap. The idea of hunting from the ground really didn't bother me. All of the other odds and ends pieces gear that I wanted and/or needed I would get as I could. I have served in the military and have had the chance to shoot several different types and styles of firearms. Even fired a few guns before that as a kid. So I was pretty comfortable with the idea of using a gun to hunt with and even had a family member that I could borrow one from. Now the lack of archery equipment did not bother me much. I have never been anywhere near a bow and arrow aside from the ones that had the little rubber suction cups on the ends. I didn't know enough about that part of hunting to care much for it. And between the start up cost of getting all of that equipment and the time that needs to be put into practicing, I thinking it's for not me. Over the years I have really enjoyed my time out in the woods. I have been out with my sons and my son-in-law several times. I have even been out with a couple of my daughters. But I think I enjoy being out there by myself the most. I have had some good years. My first time ever to go out deer hunting I shot a spikebuck. I have heard the big bucks grunt, which is something I have only heard on TV before. I have even bagged a bunch of squirrels over the years (makes up for all those ones that I couldn't shoot at the parks). But as the years have gone by my view on archery hunting changed. I started to really want to give it a go. Besides the fact that I might be able to bag a couple of more deer, it just give my more time to enjoy God's great out doors. The stumbling block was still the start up cost of buying what I needed. I made mention of my desire to learn bow hunting and the problem that I was running into a couple of times to some friends, and nothing more was ever said on the subject. As a matter of fact I had for the most part given up on the idea, at least for that year because bow season was only a couple of months away. One night after a Sunday night youth service I went to my pick-up truck and found a large object in the cab. It was a bow case! Opening the case I found a beautiful compound bow and all of the gear that I needed to get started. I also found a small note. "Today this was given to me and now I am giving it to you. Signed God (the Father) I love you." Now I could end this story here and leave you with warm fuzzy feelings and shouting to God for His goodness. I could tell you of the bow hunts that I have been on for the last three years. The deer that I have harvested using this bow. The blessing that this gift has been. I wish I could. The story of this honest-to-goodness gift from God does not end here. No, it goes on. It goes on to tell of a dust covered bow case that is sitting in my room. Take a second and re-read that last line. This wonderful gift is sitting under my desk in a corner of a room gathering dust, and has done so pretty much ever since I got it. Now don't get me wrong when I first got it I showed it to several people and told the story of how God gave me this gift and praised His name as I told it again and again. And each time I was done telling the story it went back to into the corner to gather more dust. I have even tried to pawn it once when I was needing money. Then other day when I had stretched out my legs and kicked the case for the hundredth time I really got to thinking about what people do with the gift(s) that God has blessed them with. I wonder how many others do like I did? They take what God has given them, put it away somewhere and don't use it. It just sits somewhere out of sight. We have many different reasons for us to hide our gifts. Is it a stagefright like fear? Maybe you don't use your gift because of something painful you suffered in the past? Could pride be getting in the way? Or maybe, like me with my compound bow, just plain laziness? Friends we all have been given gifts by God the Father. He has given each and everyone of us something that we can use for His glory. They may not be the ones we "see" at church every week. They might be something that only you and God know about. The freshly baked cookies and time shared with an elderly neighbor. The oil change that you do for the wife whose husband is overseas. Seeing to the needs of a child that is not even yours. The ones that show His love through your hands. Do you need to be dusting off the gift God has blessed you with? I think it's time that I do.
In His Majesty's Service
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