I’m not a hunter by any means (if you know me, you might have laughed at the title).  It’s a hobby that requires a lot of money and time which are two things that I don’t have in excess right now.  I’ve only gone deer hunting once, but I’ve shot blue rock or clay pigeons upwards of 50-100 times probably.  I’ll tell you up front, I’m a way bigger fan of shooting blue rock than I am of stealth hunting.  Shooting blue rock to me is less stressful, more predictable, and fast-paced.  When I’m ready to shoot (which I always am), I just say “pull” and there is instant pay-off.  As opposed to the uncertainty and patience of deer hunting, when I go clay pigeon “hunting” I know 1. how long it’s going to take and 2. how many rounds I plan on firing off.  It’s calculated, quick, and there shouldn’t really be a mess to clean up afterwords.

The same could be said about my life I suppose.  I tend to make quick decisions, and I like for life to be fast-paced most of the time.  This also means that I can be easily angered when things don’t go my way.  Also, when I can’t control a situation -I just might shut down, and I could be first to say “pull!” when a seemingly good opportunity presents itself.  While this fast-paced, forward-moving, approach to life can be a very good thing, it has potential to be quite dangerous.  In relationship to my wife, the answer isn’t always, “How can I fix this RIGHT NOW?”  When it comes to big life decisions like moving, job changes, etc. the answer isn’t always, “Let’s do it now!”

Sometimes I need to be more like the deer hunter -persisten to pursue the heart of God, while patiently waiting for him to make his move and reveal when I should shoot or hold fire.  You “deer hunters” out there are screaming “Yes! I wish my husband/wife would see it that way!”  Just hold on buck-o.  Sometime’s God just wants us just to say, “Pull” and quit waiting on the clay pigeon thrower to go off when it will never work that way.  God doesn’t want us wasting our time praying about silly things that we could just decide based on the wisdom and discernment he has already given us.

Application: Whether you’re the deer hunting-type, or the clay shooting-type, don’t be afraid to operate in contrast to how you feel.  If you can identify more with the clay shooter, you need to stop, breathe in and out a few times, assess the situation prayerfully, and then wait to see what God does before you flippantly pull the trigger.  For those that might be recognized as the deer hunting type, stay persistent in prayer.  Please stay persistent in prayer, BUT sometimes you just need to get off your hindquarters and do something!  And for both parties, let’s work together.  I would argue that some of the best decisions are made when quick-decision makers and persistant information gatherers are on the same team.

I hope this is helpful for y’all as it has been helpful for me to process a bit.  May God alone get glory in all our decisions!