Hunting teaches you things you won't learn elsewhere, like what the world sounds like when you take your influence out of it. It is far quieter than imagined.
You also learn a lot about the reality of death. Everyone is a part of death. Most, however, are so indirectly. Our demand for leather and meat leads to the death of billions of animals every year, but it all happens elsewhere, and by another's hands. We exterminate even more bugs. All of this leaves us disconnected with a very key truth about our fallen world. Death is always something far away. Even when we do see it, we see a facade. We see the body of a loved one preserved and made up. They are presented to us as almost live. When done well, a corpse simply looks asleep.
Saturday evening I killed a buck. Moments after I took its life, I lay my hands upon its body as a lifted up a prayer of thanksgiving, never wanting to become callous, or unaware of the fact that, while it is acceptable, hunting is a result of the fall. Warmth still radiated from the deer's body. The skin was loose. The muscles tender. Every limb moved freely. The blood from the tiny hole in its shoulder was bright red and flowing easily.
The following morning, my father and I went about processing the deer so that it could be taken home and eaten. Rigor Mortis had set in, setting the deer's limbs stiff like a statue. The blood was no longer red and flowing, but black and coagulated. The muscles had become hard. Those are some of the easier elements to discuss. I will save you from any further detail.
The point is not to disgust, but to simply bring about a truer realization. One day that body moved with the vibrancy of life, thought, and emotion (yes, I believe animals emote, why wouldn't I?). The next, that body held nothing.
That night at church, Isaac, our pastor of worship began to pray, and in his prayer, he talked about the reality of Christ's death. In that moment, I was struck in the heart by the finality of Christ's death. He was not a shell. He had a heart, lungs, and blood that flowed through his veins! His body dealt with bacteria, viruses, germs. His teeth were subject to decay. When he died, the muscle of his heart ceased. His blood eventually coagulated, just like that deer's. His body became stiff with rigor mortis. His muscles hardened.
I have never understood the miracle of the resurrection like I did yesterday, having just seen the full effect of death. That the Holy Spirit used deer hunting to reveal to my heart such a truth makes me chuckle with humble astonishment.
I know that most of you will never hunt anything, and that is more than okay. Simply, my hope is that you will not be so disconnected from the truth that you miss out on this revelation. It has been truly and deeply heart changing. I feel so much closer to my Lord Jesus this day than I did at this time yesterday.
Father, may our hearts be softened and molded to know and love you in the way that you desire. May we give up our idols. Give us the wisdom to discern, and the courage to fight the lies and temptations set before us by satan. Your will be done, Father. Show us our gifts that you have given us, and give us the ability to put them into effect. You are surely why we live. May we all know that. Teach us to submit to your word. Thank for the life, death, and resurrection of your son, our brother, Jesus Christ. You are the sum of all things wonderful and good. Amen.
You also learn a lot about the reality of death. Everyone is a part of death. Most, however, are so indirectly. Our demand for leather and meat leads to the death of billions of animals every year, but it all happens elsewhere, and by another's hands. We exterminate even more bugs. All of this leaves us disconnected with a very key truth about our fallen world. Death is always something far away. Even when we do see it, we see a facade. We see the body of a loved one preserved and made up. They are presented to us as almost live. When done well, a corpse simply looks asleep.
Saturday evening I killed a buck. Moments after I took its life, I lay my hands upon its body as a lifted up a prayer of thanksgiving, never wanting to become callous, or unaware of the fact that, while it is acceptable, hunting is a result of the fall. Warmth still radiated from the deer's body. The skin was loose. The muscles tender. Every limb moved freely. The blood from the tiny hole in its shoulder was bright red and flowing easily.
The following morning, my father and I went about processing the deer so that it could be taken home and eaten. Rigor Mortis had set in, setting the deer's limbs stiff like a statue. The blood was no longer red and flowing, but black and coagulated. The muscles had become hard. Those are some of the easier elements to discuss. I will save you from any further detail.
The point is not to disgust, but to simply bring about a truer realization. One day that body moved with the vibrancy of life, thought, and emotion (yes, I believe animals emote, why wouldn't I?). The next, that body held nothing.
That night at church, Isaac, our pastor of worship began to pray, and in his prayer, he talked about the reality of Christ's death. In that moment, I was struck in the heart by the finality of Christ's death. He was not a shell. He had a heart, lungs, and blood that flowed through his veins! His body dealt with bacteria, viruses, germs. His teeth were subject to decay. When he died, the muscle of his heart ceased. His blood eventually coagulated, just like that deer's. His body became stiff with rigor mortis. His muscles hardened.
I have never understood the miracle of the resurrection like I did yesterday, having just seen the full effect of death. That the Holy Spirit used deer hunting to reveal to my heart such a truth makes me chuckle with humble astonishment.
I know that most of you will never hunt anything, and that is more than okay. Simply, my hope is that you will not be so disconnected from the truth that you miss out on this revelation. It has been truly and deeply heart changing. I feel so much closer to my Lord Jesus this day than I did at this time yesterday.
Father, may our hearts be softened and molded to know and love you in the way that you desire. May we give up our idols. Give us the wisdom to discern, and the courage to fight the lies and temptations set before us by satan. Your will be done, Father. Show us our gifts that you have given us, and give us the ability to put them into effect. You are surely why we live. May we all know that. Teach us to submit to your word. Thank for the life, death, and resurrection of your son, our brother, Jesus Christ. You are the sum of all things wonderful and good. Amen.
Wow, I do hunt and see lots of death through raising animals - just a part of it- and I never thought it through either! By three days our Lord's body was in the state of total decay and death but He resurrected to a living warm new body! Praise Him but even more - I, too, will raise on the last day to a new warm living body! Thank you Thank you Lord Jesus.
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