Over
Protective is Good
Barbara Henderson
When Jerry and I got married many years ago Jerry was
already a hunter. He was quite at home in the woods. However, he
just wasn’t as cautious as I wanted him to be. I don’t mean he wasn’t
safety conscience when it came to gun safety. I mean he wasn’t really
cautious enough in the woods. After all, that fictional character called
‘mother nature’ is vicious. She is out to torture and kill everyone on
the planet. Her weapons include weather, terrain, wild animals, fear,
famine, flood, drought, and lots of other things. She can even get a tree
or rock to come crashing down for no apparent reason and crush an unsuspecting
hunter.
Fortunately for Jerry, I got him
the necessary equipment for hunting right away. We got married in August
and he was all set to go before the first day of deer season. I mean he
was ready! He was also very strong, thank goodness. He needed all
that strength to carry the things I got for him to ensure his safety.
(What he actually needed was a ‘burden bearer’ to go with him and carry all his
stuff.)
I got him a good compass, a
whistle, and a case for water proof matches. I hung all those on a sturdy
string, and hung it around his neck before he was allowed to go out hunting.
I also got him a
canteen. He was no longer allowed to drink out of streams in case there
was a beaver in the area. You really cannot be too careful where there is
a possibility of beaver fever!
He also had to wear a water proof
hat in case of rain. He had a lightweight rain poncho tucked safely coat
pocket just in case he was caught in a blinding rain storm.
He had to carry relatively small
back pack filled with some food, extra matches, canned sterno, water,
band-aids, and a few other things that were absolutely necessary.
He really was supposed to carry an
old fashioned hunting horn carved out of a horn off a bull just in case he
needed to call someone’s dog or call for help if the whistle wasn’t loud enough
to be heard
I also got him a holster for his
22 pistol. He needed to carry that and at least 200 rounds of ammo.
That was in case he was trapped under a falling tree and was too far away for
anyone to hear him blowing his whistle. Then he was supposed to fire the
pistol into the air at a set interval.
Now, boots were also an issue. He wore
clunky shoes and boots before I met him. He had to get over that and wear
boots that would protect those skinny ankles and shins from snakes that might
still be crawling around instead of hibernating.
Once I had him all dressed up
safely prepared to face the Ouachita wilderness, I sent my dad out hunting with
him. I could go back to sleep without worrying once I knew dad was with
him.
There was one area where Jerry
totally failed. He was supposed to choose a specific sound and learn to
make that sound realistically. Daddy hooted like an owl. Everyone
in the family knew dad’s owl hoot. It would let everyone in the woods
know where dad was without dad making a noise that might scare the
animals. My granddad was not nearly as subtle as dad. He did a
really good ‘rebel yell’. Yep, granddad probably learned his yell
directly from someone who fought in the civil war. Jerry just couldn’t do
it. He couldn’t hoot like owl, howl like coyote, or even moo like
grandma’s milk cow. Finally the family voted to keep him anyway.
None of my three brothers could do a good sound either, so they voted in
Jerry’s favor. However he didn’t get out of everything involved in the
family hunting expeditions.
Jerry learned a few things early
on.
First, he HAD to get used to carrying
all the stuff I got for him. There was no way whatsoever he was going to
get out of that. It was for his own good.
Second, he learned the lay of the
land. He knew which mountains were situated in what direction from my mom
and dad’s home. (The Ouachita’s are sometimes laughed at as not really being
mountains. They are called ‘hills’. The people laughing have
obviously not climbed any of those ‘hills’, nor fought toe to toe with snakes
and skunks for territory.’)
Third, and this is probably the
best, he learned that you could hear the roosters crowing from anywhere within
walking distance of my grandparents’ home. Gramps and Gramma lived one
holler over from mom and dad. Jerry actually had it made. If the
weather turned bad or he got hungry, he just followed the sound of the roosters
to my grandmother’s kitchen and hid out there until it was an acceptable hour
to get back over to mom’s house and act like he was exhausted from all that
hunting he had been doing.
He also learned that if anyone got
a deer, everyone in the hunting party was to stop what they were doing and help
get the meat taken care of immediately. He already knew how to field
dress a dear, cut it up properly, and cook it! Well, my dad didn’t have
to stop hunting and start helping, but everyone else did. My mom thought
Jerry was from another planet the first time he cut up a deer for her.
That story is all true. If
you think that story is something – you should hear what happened when my son
was born, and when he took his first steps, and learned to ride his spring
horse, and then his tricycle. Don’t worry. I let him ditch the knee
pads and football helmet before he started to school. I didn’t want to
embarrass him or anything. (Then my baby girl was born….. we just don’t
have time for all the details that went along with that blessed event,)
Some people might call me over
protective, but of course they don’t know nuthin. They are just
ignoramuses who need to learn to mind their own business. The truth is I
am NOT over protective. I do not have the capacity to be protective
enough. I cannot be with my loved ones constantly. And, even when I
am with them, I cannot protect them from everything. Early on I learned
that the best thing to do for my family was commit them into the care of Jesus
Christ every day. He alone has the ability to be with them every single
second of every day.
He provides for his children the
things and knowledge that are necessary for safety. He thinks of every
contingency. He has safety nets everywhere. He never gives us
permission to take off our helmets and knee pads. If ever there was a
leader who wanted the motto of His followers to be ‘be ‘prepared, it is Jesus
Christ.
The Bible is our key to being prepared,
to avoiding danger, to knowing what to do when danger comes our way.
I know most people reading this
have been over the instructions in the Bible many times. Most of the
readers have actually taken to heart to do the things Christ says to do.
They make an effort daily to do the act like the Christians they claim to be.
What I would like to do today is
encourage Christians to re-consider all the good things God does for his
children on a daily basis. He has the capacity to KNOW what dangers we face and
provide a path to safety. He knows what dangers lie ahead. He knows
our temptations. He knows what we will need.
Sometimes the world seems
overwhelmingly ‘out to get us’. Honestly, that is what the world and its
leaders do. They try to crush the opposition. Anyone or anything
that stands in their way is automatically in the cross hairs of some sort of
high powered magnification devise. One false step, like drinking
unpasteurized cow’s milk and the weight of the federal government will come
down on you in full force. There are even ‘trash police’ in some places
who go around checking garbage to make sure you are getting an acceptable
amount of your trash in the recycle bin.
In these uncertain times, it is
really important that Christians are not overwhelmed by the fast paced word in
which we live. We should not let our focus be on the dangers surrounding
us, but rather on the protection of our God. God provides for us in ways
that are obviously miraculous and ways that are much more subtle. It is good to
make a specific effort every day to see the hand of God in our lives. Sometimes
we can be so bogged down with cares that we miss a real miracle. Other
times we miss the good things God does for us everyday because we are looking
for an obvious miracle. Look for God. I don’t mean look for His
face in a holy tortilla or an apparition of some so called holy something or
other. Just look for God. He is with you. Whether He provides for
your needs through an obvious miracle, or by common means, He is providing you
with ‘daily benefits’. His goodness toward His children will never
fail. Look at what the Psalms have to say.
Psalm 68:19
Blessed be the Lord, who daily
loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah
What are some of the benefits with which the Lord loads you
every day? Usually we get something to eat, something to wear, and a
place to lay our weary heads. We have some measure of health if we are
still breathing. God gives us strength in trials. God also teaches
us things during trials. God gives us direction in one way or
another. If He didn’t give you one thing you wanted, it is because He has
something else for you. The thing is for Christians to take the time to
consider their daily benefits. Don’t make light of the good things God
gives you just because He gives them to you all the time. God gives us
forgiveness. We can have a clean slate with which to begin each
day. God’s mercies are new every morning. We should acknowledge
them and appreciate them. The old song ‘Count your Blessings’ is a good
way to begin each day.
Take the time to memorize this
song. It is a mood changer and burden lightener,
Psalm 103:2
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and
forget not all his benefits:
Keep your heart and mind focused on the
things the Lord has done for you.
A loving parent or spouse WANTS to watch
over you and do what is best for you all the time. Unfortunately, they
can’t do that. And even if they could be with you all the time to take
care of you, they actually don’t know what is best in every situation.
On the other hand:
God is with you all the time.
God does know the best way to reach the
goal.
God loves you more than your parents or
spouse.
Don’t forget God’s benefits.
Don’t forget that He is a very present
help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a
very present help in trouble.)
Psalm 116:12
What shall I render unto the LORD
for all his benefits toward me?
Considering all that the Lord has
done for you, what is there that you should do for Him?
I can think of three things to begin
with.
First, be thankful. Thank the Lord
in everything and with every breath. Pray without ceasing, and make the
beginning of most prayers thankfulness. Strive to develop an attitude of
thankfulness in all circumstances. If you fall into a raging river please
do shout out 'help!'. This one word can be a cry for help from God and
from anyone within hearing distance. But in most circumstances it is
prudent to begin every prayer with thankfulness.
Second, the Lord has given us
instructions by which we are to live. The least we can do for Him in
return is make a conscience and continual effort to follow His
instructions. That means all of them. Obey the commandments, and
treat others the way we want to be treated. That includes forgiving
others the way Christ has forgiven us
The third thing is to seek what
specific or special thing the Lord asks of you. We are all called to some
sort of life-long missionary service, whether it be living a faithful Christian
life in the town in which we grew up, or traveling to a foreign land where not
even our native language is spoken. Whatever the Lord asks of you, go
ahead and do it because of the good things the Lord does for you on a daily
basis. He may ask you to continue dealing with a difficult person.
You don’t have to make them your constant companion. Just treat them like
you would want to be treated when you are around them. Remember that you are
not befriending them because they deserve it. You are doing it to please
the Lord. You may find yourself called to work harder for a spouse or
employer who does not appreciate your efforts. It changes your outlook when you do things for the Lord. The Lord
always appreciates the things you do to please Him.
You may find yourself called to have
patience in boring situations. Do it to please the Lord.
Years ago, I was comforted to send
my dad out hunting with my husband. Dad was a very experienced woodsman
and hunter. Dad and Jerry had a lot of good times together. Life seems
more complicated than that now. People don’t even feel safe going to the
grocery store by themselves. There is no confidence that the things we
need will be on the store shelves when we get there. There is certainly
no confidence that the entire world will not be facing famine, pestilence, and
war on a large scale at any given moment. No one knows what to do to be
fully prepared for the future.
Thankfully, God does know what we
need for the future. He is able to be with you every moment of every
day. He is able to provide for you and walk with you through the days
ahead. Take the time to consider what God has done for you, and what you
can do for God.
Do the things you are able to do to
provide for your future.
Trust God to take care of the things you
are unable to do.
