Bear Huntin'

For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:27

When I was growing up, my family vacationed in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park at Smokemont, a National Campground between Cherokee NC and Gatlinburg TN. There always seemed to be plenty to do in that quiet campground. We could swim in water too cold to be liquid, we could pitch a game of horseshoes, walk around the campground and “stake out” the guys, or go to the little camp store and hang out.

But when the sun went down the camp fires started. The wonderful smell of wood burning and dinner cooked over the fire remains a wonderful memory. That was the time that my mom and dad and my older brothers and me just sat for hours and stared at the fire and talked – or not. Sometimes it was just enough to sit together and look into the flames and know that we were all there for with each other. At home, our lives were too busy for the five of us to be together except for sharing meals.

The calm was always totally disrupted when the shout of “Bear!” came through the campground. The first time I heard that shout, my older cousin was spending vacation with us. She grabbed my little hand and started pulling me quickly along with a crowd of young folks. I was so thankful to have my older cousin protect me and put full faith in her.

Little did I know that Margie, my trusted older cousin was dragging me TO the bear – not AWAY from it. I was in horror when we came to a stop and – there it was – a big black bear cleaning out one of the trash cans in the camp ground. What in the world was my cousin and protector thinking!

I came to enjoy the sport of “bear watching” as the years passed and learned to laugh about my first “bear huntin’” adventure. And I came to forgive Margie, eventually, also.

How many times do we run as fast as we can toward a goal, only to find out we are running in the opposite direction that we thought we were going? I wish I could say that I only had that experience once, but that wouldn’t be true. I constantly have to refocus to make sure that I am running in the right direction – that I am working for Christ – not against Him. And I learned that no one is responsible for the path that I take except me.

It takes much prayer and study for me to stay on the right path. I talk to God every day – many times for His direction – and still I find myself chasing bears over and over again. The thing that I have learned through the years is that He runs with me – even when I go the wrong way. And when I come face to face with the “bears” in my life, He protects me and guides me and leads me to the right path again. Over and over again!

Lord, How many times will you forgive me for working against you? How many mistakes can I make and still have your Mercy and Grace? “Eternity”, you tell me. “I’ll be with you for Eternity”. Thank you, Lord for protecting me against the bears in my life and for giving me the calm and peaceful times of just being with those I love. Amen.