It was a wonderfully snowy Sunday Morning in early December a few years ago when the Sunday school teacher asked her students, “Does anyone know what Season this is?” Several children eagerly raised their hands to answer the question. Our oldest daughter Hannah must have seemed extra enthusiastic as she was called upon to give her answer. Smiling from ear to ear she proclaimed, “It’s deer season!”
It’s true. Like so many Southern Iowa natives our house over the years becomes a hunting lodge between the September’s Youth Season and the January High-Power Season. I must say that I am so blessed to have a wife who does not mind living in a meat locker / butcher shop for a while every year. Fortunately, in more recent hunts, our friends have allowed us to use their “shop” and things haven’t been so messy around our house.
Some of the men I know would argue that the hunting season is the “most wonderful time of the year.” While I would agree that it is indeed wonderful I would argue that every event or evening spent with your family is the “most wonderful.” I have never heard any parents say, “Oh how I wish I would have spent more time at work while the kids were growing up.” Or, “I really wish we would have had fewer meals together as a family.” No one in their right mind would ever say, “While my children were young, we played way to many games together.” Or, “My kids always got in the way of my hunting.”
There are several things that I enjoy about the hunting season. I love being out in the woods with my children. I love teaching them, walking with them, helping them understand safety, the elements, and just being amazed by God’s creation all around us, together. I want them to understand how to properly handle firearms, clean whatever game they get, provide for the family, and just what it means to “have dominion” over the earth, as Genesis 1:26, 28 instruct.
This is a wonderful time of the year – for many reasons. The holidays are a terrific time because they tend to be focused times for the family. I want to encourage you not to wait until Christmas Eve or Christmas Day! Make plans to spend a few evenings at home, together, as a family. If you are a hunter, include your family, teach your children, and take advantage of the limited opportunities you have to influence them for God’s glory and their own good!
Clegguart Mitchell
Family, Fun, & Food for thought... 