A Hunt For Meaning

The Hunt For Meaning

There is a cost to everything that matters.

Too many times, we wait for the ideal situation before we take action.

Yesterday, Kathy and I went hunting for the first time with Jess.

As hunters know, you walk lightly and speak in a whisper so as not to scare off your prey.

Jess is a hunter; we are not.

He takes it very seriously.

He knew, if we wanted to have the best chance of finding something, we needed to hike in a couple of miles.

Why?

Because it was difficult, and most people won’t do it.

How many of us are looking for that easy prey?

We spend so much time in search of the big moment in life, we fail to see that the hardship we just went through was a step towards our big moment.

Our nation stands at a critical juncture in its history.

Every day, these moments come and go.

Do we turn our heads and look the other way, or do we dive in?

I’m glad to say, I see a lot of divers out there.

In Oregon, my home state, people are coming out of the woodwork to defeat an unfair tax, levied by the Democratic legislature and an out-of-touch governor.

People who remained silent for years can no longer do so.

These are those tiny moments that define who we are and what our country is going to look like for our grandchildren.

Oregonians are being asked to take the hard road and be willing to walk farther and climb higher.

Back to the hunt, what I noticed was the quietness of my son as he used his binoculars to survey the landscape for signs of an elk.

He understands the goal and that waiting and knowing what to look for is crucial.

He’s done this enough to understand the price you pay to earn the knowledge required to acquire the prize.

Do we understand?

We had about 30 minutes of daylight left and still nothing.

We decided to make one more attempt by climbing out of a large gulch to get a different view of the valley below.

Our payoff was not an elk but an understanding that steep terrain, long journeys, and going the extra mile are part of the hunt.

As I sit this morning, I’m reminded that my walk with God is a hunt.

I must look for Him, not that He’s hiding, but He understands faith is what follows hardship and trials.

As Mother Theresa once said to U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield, “I was not called to be successful, I was called to be faithful.”

Have an amazing Sunday.