Three Things I Remembered In The Woods

Lest anyone imagine I think deep thoughts, I'm revealing three things I remembered this month. These are things you probably know. I guess I knew these things too, but God recently brought them to the forefront of my thinking. They're not very deep, but my "hunting" time (snacking on raisins in the cold, dark, wet woods) enhanced my ability to remember what I already knew.

Here's what I remembered.

1. When you are cold, it's nice to get warm. Coming home, soaking in a hot tub and drinking coffee in front of the fireplace is better than staying cold and miserable.

2. When you are wet, it's nice to get dry. Fish can stay wet for a long time but I get all wrinkled when I'm soaked for hours. Getting out of cold, wet clothes is nice. It's better to be dry and comfortable than wet and miserable.

3.  When you are really hungry, eating good food is wonderful. No kidding. Skipping lunch while shivering in the woods is a short-lived thrill. Heading home to eat a hot meal - after hunting all day - makes a good day even better. Great food is....great!

So, what did I learn?

It's better to be warm, dry and well-fed than cold, wet and hungry.

But tonight many people in Michiana are cold and hungry, soaked by the pouring rain and looking for a place to take shelter. What many of us briefly experience as the discomfort of momentary inconvenience, they face as the cruel reality of ongoing life.

So, what's to be done?

It'd be a curious response to join the miserable in their misery. What's gained by sharing the pangs of hunger in the bitter cold? Will starving yourself relieve another's hunger? How does standing in the soaking rain bring aid to those caught in a downpour? Does camaraderie in scarcity somehow satiate the famished?

God gives a compelling option. Rather than sharing their hunger, why not share our food? God tells us to do right things. Instead of sitting beside desperate people in the soaking cold, bring them inside to dry-off and warm-up. Warm clothes and sheltering friendship can honor God and bring a bit of "up there down here."

God used my solitude time in the wet, cold woods to remind me of what I already knew.  And God is watching to see how I respond to His reminder...

Proverbs 24:11-12  -  Rescue the perishing; don't hesitate to step in and help. If you say, "Hey, that's none of my business," will that get you off the hook?  Someone is watching you closely, you know— Someone not impressed with weak excuses.

Comments

[Guy Walker]

True... Hunting makes everything better :)