“Found him!” There are not many two word combinations that mean more to an archery deer hunter than…”Found him!” That is the culmination of the whole process of preparing for and putting together a successful hunt. Archery hunting is a whole different ball game compared to firearms hunting. It requires more preparation. It requires more patience. It requires more accuracy. And for those that are blessed by being able to take one of the amazing creatures that God created, it is truly incredible. I have heard those words. And it was, as I stated, truly incredible.
What was incredible about getting to hear my buddy yell that to me, is the fact that he found my buck after looking for a nonexistent blood trail. Actually, two of my dear friends tried to find the blood trail. To no avail. So they began searching blindly, looking for any signs they could find. And by the grace of God, he was found. It really was amazing. He had been there the entire time. Waiting for us to find him. He’s a deer that I had been seeing on camera for a while. He’s a deer that I had an encounter with the night before. Trust me, I don’t take it for granted that I was able to bring him home that night.
Reminds me of our search for something that only comes from our Lord and Savior. I think that all men and women are searching. I think that all men and women are looking for peace in their lives. Hope in their lives. Love in their lives. And if we search in the wrong places, we will find no existence of any of those. And unfortunately, that is what too many of us do. I know I did. Trying to find happiness and fulfillment in the wrong places. Believe me…I was searching. There was no blood trail for me to follow. At least I didn’t think so. It wasn’t until I found God, then I realized the trail had been there the entire time. It was me that was not following it. So today, let’s all make sure that we are on the right path. On the right trail. Searching for God. Finding God. Receiving the peace, hope, and love that we are only going to find from him. And just like the deer was always there, God is always there. He’s waiting for us to turn to him. To believe in him. It’s on us to believe that he is our Lord and Savior. On us. Let’s do that, and then we can tell others that we have…”Found him!”
