Lost In the Darkness

Have you ever hunted in a new piece of woods and got a little confused while walking out in the dark? It seems the woods change in appearance once darkness hits and can cause a hunter to be easily confused in finding the way out. One of the craziest hunts that I have ever experienced is the first time I bow hunted the George Washington National Forest. I did a little pre-season scouting and found a beautiful place that I was comfortable setting my stand. I was using my newly purchased Ol’ Man climber treestand this beautiful fall evening to set my ambush.
The hunt begins as I’m climbing to the top of the mature white oak tree, and somehow the boot straps ended up falling of my boots and the platform fell from the tree. At this point my brain is rattled because I am hanging about thirteen feet in the air and I have no platform under my feet. Fortunately I tied a rope from the top to the platform in case this ever happened to me. I was able to regain my composure and pulled the rope to get my platform back under my feet. After several failed attempts at getting my feet back in the straps I was able to place my platform firmly under my feet. I continued the up tree a little, unnerved but thankful it didn’t turn out worse.
The actual hunt was uneventful with only a few sightings of squirrels and not surprisingly no deer. After dark, I started the climb down the tree and about halfway down my batteries in my LED headlamp died. I was now climbing down the tree in a darkness that was darker than being in the bottom of a cave. I don’t know how, but I finally managed to shimmy my way down the oak tree and finally put my two shaking feet on solid ground. If you ever think about trying to walk in the woods in complete darkness for fun, take my advice and do not do it. After what seemed like an eternity, I was able to gather all my gear and begin the long dreaded trek down the mountain. Did I mention that my headlamp burned out and I was now in complete and utter darkness walking down a strange mountain?
The next blunder that I managed to get myself into was I tripped on a sandstone rock outcropping and tumbled down the mountain. Somehow the rope that I used for raising and lower my bow to my treestand got caught on a limb and threw me off balance. I then tripped over the rock outcropping and as I tumbled down the hill my quiver snapped off my bow. By this point I am now banged up pretty good but I dust myself off and continue my trek down the mountain. At this point, I really have no clue how far I have walked because I cannot see good enough to judge my exact location, so I continued the long hike until I came to a point where I hastily stopped. As I was just about to go down the next bench, a still quiet voice spoke to me and told me to proceed no further and to take a sharp left. I was sure that I needed to keep walking straight but I obeyed the voice and soon realized that good fortune was now with me. What unfolded next is that I made it to the main trail and just when I was about to walk off the trail and down the rugged mountain, the voice told me to take a left which meant I was now walking on the trail back to my vehicle. I was so fortunate that I didn’t continue walking down the mountain and headed to further disaster. While I was banged up and shaken pretty well, I eventually made it home and was now a much wiser hunter.
How many times in your life have you been lost or confused in life? It is so easy to lose focus in life and to find ourselves walking around aimlessly in the dark or to find ourselves off the narrow path. The Bible has a lot to offer us in today’s world. God has a plan and a path for each and every one of us and if we take the time to listen to his voice then we will know which path to follow. However, all too often we allow ourselves to become distracted by our situation in life that we cannot see that God’s path is the best path for us. It is free of rocks that trip us up and free of thorns and thistles. We usually end up in these wild places because we do what we want to do instead of what God wants us to do. Where are you in your life? Are you walking down the path that God created for you or are you walking aimlessly in the dark, stumbling over the rocks? Jeremiah 29:11 has this to say to you, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Follow God’s path in life and you will be following the right path to safety.