BLOOD TRAIL: The Grandparent Gig

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

The Grandparent Gig

This grandparent thing is great! Valerie and I have been at it now for about five years since we were adopted by Brittany when Joshua and Melissa were married. She's been a joy! Every so often we would go pick her up, see a movie and stop at "Bob's" for a kid’s meal with burgers and smiley fries and some kind of blue drink that looks a little like tidy bowl. Brit has “matured” quite a bit since then. I “think” she still likes us but with teens it’s hard to tell sometimes. Things have been even more fun since Nathaniel got here. With a newborn grandchild you have the perfect excuse to chase down people you see that you haven't had the chance to talk to in years . You might be in Wal-Mart or the mall and see someone on the other end of the store (1/4 mile away). You look at your spouse and say, "Doesn't that look like 'ol Betty and 'ol Bob? Why we haven't seen them since before the kids got married...........................” Your eyes meet and all of a sudden your grandparent gene kicks in and off you both go after your next victim............. It’s like a scene from Animal Planet where the lions work together to run down their prey. I’ve figured out why you see so many knots of people just standing and talking in the aisles at Wal-Mart. They’re caused by new grandparents who’ve just made a fresh capture!

Pictures are a must. I've carried a couple around in my shirt pocket for the first few months. When they got worn out I’d just print more. Valerie bought this large greenish-gold, yellow and pink striped purse the other day that has places for three photos with little clear plastic windows so everyone can see her grandchildren. This thing just screams LOOK AT ME !

Old friends aren’t the only targets. People you deal with on a regular basis like the pharmacist, the receptionist at the doctor’s office and your barber are all in for their share of the good news. You might even start thinking of excuses to run next door to talk to your neighbor. Even salesmen and Jehovah’s Witnesses that come to your door are blissfully unaware of the fate that awaits them.

Do you remember the time when your newborn faith in Christ caused you to act the same way? You couldn’t wait to tell everyone about your new found friend. You looked for opportunities to witness. You made time to tell others. Do you remember when you were carried on your quest by good old fashioned gratitude for your salvation? Are you still grateful to a kind and loving God that you’ve been saved from eternal wrath?

Paul said in Colossians 1:12 - 14 “I pray that you will be grateful to God for letting you have part in what he has promised his people in the kingdom of light. God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son, who forgives our sins and sets us free.” --The Contemporary English version--
I’ve said before that the greatest motivation for carrying the Gospel is gratitude. I think that most folks who know me know that I don’t have a particularly outwardly emotional demeanor but when I think of how Christ brought me from the edge of falling into hell and the price He paid for my salvation I can barely hold it together. If all it takes is willingness and shoe leather to present the Gospel I’m all in. Whatever I do for Him is too little. I’m sure most of you feel the same way.

Gail

2 Corinthians 9:15

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BLOOD TRAIL

Hunting is a great pastime activity. In today’s world, with a few exceptions hunting isn't among the skill sets necessary to acquire our food and clothing. We are accustomed to 40 hour work weeks and the availability of less labor intensive hunting areas such as Walmart, Krogers and Sears. It’s much easier to work a job and then spend your money at a department store than to invest many hours studying, patterning, hunting, killing and preparing wild game for a few pounds of meat ,a hide and a set of horns. To those who don’t hunt it may look like a huge waste of time. Those of us who hunt know the benefit of the activity. It’s outdoors, usually solitary, relaxing, and requires preparation, diligence and discipline. (Kinda like a job) For those of us who hunt the rewards of relaxation and enjoyment outweigh, for the most part, all the hard work involved. One of the most important skills you can learn is blood trailing. In the daylight it is a relatively straightforward task after you find the first drop of blood. Each drop tells us something new. It can tell us weather the animal is moving or standing, If it’s moving which direction and how fast. It can tell us weather we should pursue quickly or allow it to rest. At times we can tell where the animal is wounded. There is certainly a good amount of satisfaction in the work, but probably the most rewarding part of the hunt is the stories we can tell. The things you notice while hunting, a bird you haven’t seen before, the antics of a squirrel or a fawn, the moment of the kill and the labor of retrieving your harvest.

My last hunt involved some blood trailing in the dark. As is common, my shot at a buck came just before sunset. I didn't like the placement of the shot so I waited until I thought he had gone out of earshot and hastily looked for the first blood sign I could find and marked it. I left it and went home to have a little supper and to get adequate lighting to follow the trail. When I came back I was able to quickly find the white tissue paper I had tied on a limb above the first drop of blood. Four hours and five hundred yards later I was privileged to retrieve the animal I had harvested.

I don’t want to bore you with all the details of a four hour tracking job but I do want to point out some interesting parallels to our Christian walk.

* Its important to pursue as quickly as possible. We must follow the trail with diligence unless we loose our harvest to other predators or scavengers. (2 Peter 1:10)

* What we see in the woods at night is completely different from what we are used to seeing during the day. The subtle yellows, greens and browns we see during the day becomes nearly monochromatic at night.

* The human eye is naturally drawn to the color red.

* At night there are different types of light, close in as from a gas lantern or a campfire, focused light as from a flashlight and the bluish white light of the moon on a really clear night. (Mat 5:14-16)

* Sometimes you will find yourself searching for the next drop of blood on your hands and knees.

* As you turn leaves over looking for the slightest trace of blood you may see a spot of red on the middle of a leaf. When you inspect more closely you discover it is a false drop. Maple leaves and others naturally have spots of red. I call them false drops. After a while you learn to recognize the difference between the real blood and the false trail randomly spread by the wind. (1 John 4:1)

* The real thing has the shine of authenticity. The more you see the real thing it becomes easier to recognize.

* Sometimes the trail is hidden by the forces of nature, rain, wind or animals. Even our own big feet can obliterate a blood trail. (Mark 4:4)

* At times you will loose the trail. At that point go back to the last drop of blood you found and begin searching in widening circles until you pick up the trail again.( Acts 17:27)

* Each step on the trail brings us closer to our harvest. (Philippians 3:14)

* Sometimes we need to go back to where we began and start the trailing process again from the beginning. We must ask ourselves questions about the important details. Was my shot really on the mark? Did I miss completely? Was the blood trail I was on actually real or was I fooled by the vagaries of nature? Once we assess where things truly stand we can either continue on the trail or begin the hunt again. (2 Cor. 13:2)