Deer Hunting

One morning, my five year old son comes into the bathroom while I'm getting ready for work. For some reason, he thinks it's a great idea to have a conversation with me while I'm shaving. I don't know why. At any rate, he sat down on the porcelain throne, his usual spot for thes early morning chats, and asks:

"Dad, when are you going to take me deer hunting?"

Fortunately, I didn't cut myself when I sort of jumped in surprise. See, I have never, ever, never mentioned hunting deer to my son. I've never participated in deer hunting. So the question was really out of left field. I said the first thing that popped into my mind.

"Dude, I don't even own a gun."

"Can't you buy one?"

He had me there. It is conceivable that I could, should I desire to do so, buy a rifle. But the truth is, I have no desire to purchase a gun of any sort. And so I said:

"Daddy, doesn't even like guns, buddy."

Silence ensued and I continued to shave while he mulled this over in his mind. Finally, he asked, brightly:

"Can we go fishing?"

"You bet we can buddy. I just gotta get some gear."

After that, we talked about the merits of his existing Spider-man pole versus the prospect of buying a new one when we could. He's content with the Spider-man rod, for now. But I've been mulling over this in my head for awhile now.

Here's the thing. Someday, he may really want to go hunting.

We live in a small Texas town, and that's just what you do, I guess. Apparently, he became interested because a friend of his told my son that his daddy was taking him.

Hunting has never been something I was into. I am sure there are lots of reasons for this. First of all, I am a geek galore. Secondly, I didn't exactly have a father around who encouraged that type of activity. But mostly because I'm kind of a softy and just don't like killing things.

I've tried it. I'm actually a pretty fair shot when it comes to practicing. And when I was younger, I shot a pheasant with my pellet gun under the tutelage of my mom's boyfriend at the time. Even had some experience with the "back road hunt." That's where you load up in a pickup at night and drive around on back roads shooting whatever moves.

As a matter of fact, my aversion to killing animals probably stems from one such occasion. My buddy and I found a rabbit one night. I think I had a scatter shot kind of gun, and I hit it, but didn't kill it. We had to go put it out of its misery. Turns out, it was a momma bunny, and I was tortured by the possibility we had inadvertently killed some baby bunnies as mommy would no longer be providing milk.

So yeah...hunting is definitely not my thing. But what if my son really likes it? What if, living in this small town environment, it becomes something he really wants to do? Plus, there's that whole peer pressure thing. I'd hate for my son to become "uncool" because his daddy don't hunt.

Right now, my son and I are pretty cool. He's five years old and loves super heroes. I'm thirty-five and love them too. We are pals...buddies even. I don't want to lose that. What I want, more than almost anything, is to not suck as a dad. I don't want to become irrelevant. Is that wrong?

I know that someday, if my son gets into that whole thing, somebody will take him hunting. And whoever that is, my son will think he's pretty dang cool. Am I wrong to not want my son finding father figures in somebody else? Or at any rate, in someone who instills the kind of values in him that are contrary to what I am trying desperately to instill. After all, it's my responsibility to make sure the boy loves Jesus. Right?

And that makes me think about God. He became flesh so we could relate to Him. Catch that? He became one of us, not because He didn't understand us, but because He wanted us to know Him better.

So what do you think? Should I start investing in camo and deer corn even though the thought of shooting Bambi's mom freaks me out? If so...somebody's gonna have to come along and show me the basics. Or maybe my son and I will just figure it out together.

Judge Not?

“Judge not, lest ye be judged.” Man don’t we love to throw this verse out whenever we’ve done something wrong and someone calls us on it? It’s like we think it’s a “get out of jail free” card or something. But I think if we look at in context, we realize it isn’t saying we can’t be called out for sinning. The passage in question is in Matthew 7:1-5. Come take a look with me.

First of all, what does Jesus mean when He says, "Judge"? The most basic definition is "to form an opinion of" (American Heritage Dictionary). But essentially, it means to declare guilty or to condemn. You could paraphrase it by saying, "Condemn not, or you too will be condemned."

Earlier on in the Sermon on the Mount (of which this passage is a part of) we see Jesus say, "Forgive so that your Father will forgive you." (Matthew 6:14) The same concept is found in this section. Jesus is saying that if we choose to condemn people, then by the same standards we too will be condemn. Maybe by God, maybe by other people.

Why is this a problem? It shows a lack of grace. Romans 3:23 says that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." None of us are perfect. We all stumble and fall. We make mistakes. And when we condemn others for sin...we are passing judgment. Judgment is something only God, who is perfect in every way, is worthy of dispensing.

That's why Jesus goes on to say what He says about the sawdust and the plank. Do you realize that the sins we hate in others are the ones we struggle with most mightily? We can't help with someone's speck when we really can't even see past our plank. Jesus says that those who try are hypocrites.

But, as I said before, we like to use this verse to have folks lay off, right? That's not His point. Jesus said we need to remove the plank before we HELP with the sawdust.

Let's be clear. Scripture is very straightforward about helping one another avoid the entanglements of sin. Galatians 6:1 is a great example. It says, "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently." Notice a key word in the text...GENTLY.

So what's my point? I'm getting to it. I think removing a plank from your eye is a very humbling experience. Something that can only be done by the grace of God. When you experience this, you know what it's like. You can gently, and lovingly, help your fellow believer through the removal of his or her speck.

It isn't done by considering them a horrible person. How can you form an opinion about somebody when you've been guilty of the same thing, perhaps even more so than your friend? It's done by gently and loving reminding each other that the sin we encounter is not God's plan for our lives.

So the next time you are about to throw this verse out hoping someone can't hold you accountable for something you might have done, remember, if they're your brother or sister in Christ, they do have a right. And, if you are that brother or sister who's doing the encouraging...make sure you do it in humbleness and love.