Wisdom from the Woods

October 20th, 2008 |

Rarely do I “get away” that I don’t “come back” with some kind of lesson. They aren’t always new or particularly earth shattering lessons, but they are perspectives that sometimes become clearer as you have the opportunity to slow down. My recent trip to Chunky, Mississippi was no exception. We spent the weekend in a hunting lodge owned by Kathy’s brother, Randy Pope. Now before you get in your mind some thrown together shack, think again. Over the years, Randy has put a lot of thought, time and energy into this place and it is absolutely wonderful. It has all the rustic feel of its setting, but without the inconveniences normally associated with such an out of the way place. Although I am not a hunter, I love the outdoors. Late one afternoon, I positioned myself in one of the tree stands to see what I might observe in the way of wildlife. After I settled into the stand awhile, it hit me how much was going on in the woods all around me when I just took the time to be still and listen. Squirrels where chattering, birds were singing, twigs were snapping, and I could even hear leaves falling. Now some might say that you can’t hear a leaf fall, but you can if you are still enough. After about an hour and a half of being really still, my wait was rewarded when three bucks and a doe emerged from a thicket and started feeding below me. What is the moral to this story? If you will shut up, sit still, and stay put, you just might see something wonderful from the hand of the Creator.

“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

Wisdom from the woods,