As a parent there are many special “firsts.” You know what I mean - your child’s first steps, their first word, or their first smile. Last week, I had one of those special firsts. If you’re a hunter you would probably agree that it ranks right up there at the top of the list with the others – your child’s first deer. My boy, 9 -year old Cade Elijah Harrill, put the smack down on a his first whitetail.
It was not our first time hunting together. We’ve hunted together several times over the past few years and he was even with me when I harvested a small buck several years ago. However, this year Cade was not just along learning the ropes from his old man, he was the “trigger man.”
The forecast looked bleak with heavy rain on the radar. We headed out for an evening hunt in a down pour. It was literally raining like crazy, but we decided to brave the elements because the season was winding down and our opportunities to hunt were growing fewer. Because of the rain we headed to a spot that we’d never hunted before. A friend of mine had offered us an opportunity to hunt a box blind that he had constructed on his property. I figured that there we’d at least be able to stay dry if it continued to rain. The driving rain finally broke and gave way to a spot of sunshine. Not long after the rain stopped, the “sacrificial deer” stepped out into the firing lane. We got the rifle in position, Cade found the deer in the scope, put the crosshairs behind the deer’s front shoulder and then asked me to cover his ears. I couldn’t help but chuckle at his request but quickly covered his ears liked he asked, flipped the safety and before I could hardly say a thing, BOOM!!!!! The round from the Remington Model 700 .223 found its mark on a doe and she piled up not 15 yards from where she was shot. Cade was proud of that deer and I was proud of Cade. It’s a special moment that this dad and son will cherish forever. Great job Cade!
Now, let me give you some background on how this season unfolded. Before the beginning of the season Cade had learned to shoot and had become very proficient with a rifle that my neighbor had let us borrow. That got me excited, because I knew that that was a major obstacle standing in the way of Cade actually being able to harvest a deer by himslf. Once this happened, my goal (really more like my life’s ambition) for the season had become to get my son his first deer. I worked and thought constantly on how I could make it happen. The stand had been moved to the perfect spot along the edge of a field. A food plot had been prepared in one corner of the field to bring in the deer. I cut limbs that might hinder any rifle shot from the stand. I added camo netting to block any movement from a 9-year old’s lack of attention and experience, and I bought and poured out countless bags of corn to sweeten our honey hole. I had worked diligently to make it happen. If you asked my wife she’d probably tell you that I was a little obsessed with the whole thing. We hunted and hunted once the season came in but I just couldn’t make it happen. Honestly, I got frustrated and really started to feel the pressure as the season wore on. I dreaded the thought of having to wait an entire year before we got the chance again. I even started to worry that Cade would get discouraged and never want to come back. All I thought was, “What else could I do to make it happen?” All that I had done and all the work was just not enough to get him that first deer. Then, on a rainy Thursday we ended up hunting at a completely different location than the one where we had been hunting . We had worked so hard trying to kill a deer at our spot but ended up at a place where we had done no work and were finally able to close the deal on a deer. Here at this spot, I had built no stand. I had not cut shooting lanes, prepared the location or spent any muscle or money putting out corn. It was all done by someone else. My friend, Hunter Norman had done all the work and let us hunt his spot that day – what a gift!
In this hunting story of a young boys first deer, there’s a great spiritual lesson to be learned. So many people look at their spiritual life the way I looked at this hunting season. I thought working hard and doing things right would guarantee success at our spot in the end – but it didn’t. Along those same lines in life, many believe that working hard, doing things right and being good will put them in the good graces of God and get them to heaven. Eventually this only leads to disappointment and frustration. Gods word tells us in Ephesians that “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God – not by works.” You see, the only thing that guarantees success in the end, has already been done by someone else. That someone else is Jesus. He died for you and me and nothing we could do could be good enough to earn salvation. If we could earn it, then Jesus wouldn’t have had to die. He died for you and for me. He loved us that much! Just like Cade’s deer, all the work I had done at our hunting spot didn’t result in the harvesting of his deer. It was all because of the generosity of a friend who gave us the gift of letting us hunt his stand that led to that momentous occasion. Had we not taken him up on his offer, we’d still be searching for that first deer. God too, offers a gift, a gift greater than any other and one that’s availaible to everyone. In Romans 6:23, God tells us that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of god is eternal life in Christ Jesus.” Take Him up on His offer and receive the gift of His son Jesus Christ.
Special thanks to our friend Hunter Norman for letting us hunt your stand – you’re the man. To Mr. Benny, the best neighbor a person could have - thanks for helping Cade on the firing range and letting us use your rifle. We are forever grateful – God bless you both!
It was not our first time hunting together. We’ve hunted together several times over the past few years and he was even with me when I harvested a small buck several years ago. However, this year Cade was not just along learning the ropes from his old man, he was the “trigger man.”
The forecast looked bleak with heavy rain on the radar. We headed out for an evening hunt in a down pour. It was literally raining like crazy, but we decided to brave the elements because the season was winding down and our opportunities to hunt were growing fewer. Because of the rain we headed to a spot that we’d never hunted before. A friend of mine had offered us an opportunity to hunt a box blind that he had constructed on his property. I figured that there we’d at least be able to stay dry if it continued to rain. The driving rain finally broke and gave way to a spot of sunshine. Not long after the rain stopped, the “sacrificial deer” stepped out into the firing lane. We got the rifle in position, Cade found the deer in the scope, put the crosshairs behind the deer’s front shoulder and then asked me to cover his ears. I couldn’t help but chuckle at his request but quickly covered his ears liked he asked, flipped the safety and before I could hardly say a thing, BOOM!!!!! The round from the Remington Model 700 .223 found its mark on a doe and she piled up not 15 yards from where she was shot. Cade was proud of that deer and I was proud of Cade. It’s a special moment that this dad and son will cherish forever. Great job Cade!
Now, let me give you some background on how this season unfolded. Before the beginning of the season Cade had learned to shoot and had become very proficient with a rifle that my neighbor had let us borrow. That got me excited, because I knew that that was a major obstacle standing in the way of Cade actually being able to harvest a deer by himslf. Once this happened, my goal (really more like my life’s ambition) for the season had become to get my son his first deer. I worked and thought constantly on how I could make it happen. The stand had been moved to the perfect spot along the edge of a field. A food plot had been prepared in one corner of the field to bring in the deer. I cut limbs that might hinder any rifle shot from the stand. I added camo netting to block any movement from a 9-year old’s lack of attention and experience, and I bought and poured out countless bags of corn to sweeten our honey hole. I had worked diligently to make it happen. If you asked my wife she’d probably tell you that I was a little obsessed with the whole thing. We hunted and hunted once the season came in but I just couldn’t make it happen. Honestly, I got frustrated and really started to feel the pressure as the season wore on. I dreaded the thought of having to wait an entire year before we got the chance again. I even started to worry that Cade would get discouraged and never want to come back. All I thought was, “What else could I do to make it happen?” All that I had done and all the work was just not enough to get him that first deer. Then, on a rainy Thursday we ended up hunting at a completely different location than the one where we had been hunting . We had worked so hard trying to kill a deer at our spot but ended up at a place where we had done no work and were finally able to close the deal on a deer. Here at this spot, I had built no stand. I had not cut shooting lanes, prepared the location or spent any muscle or money putting out corn. It was all done by someone else. My friend, Hunter Norman had done all the work and let us hunt his spot that day – what a gift!
In this hunting story of a young boys first deer, there’s a great spiritual lesson to be learned. So many people look at their spiritual life the way I looked at this hunting season. I thought working hard and doing things right would guarantee success at our spot in the end – but it didn’t. Along those same lines in life, many believe that working hard, doing things right and being good will put them in the good graces of God and get them to heaven. Eventually this only leads to disappointment and frustration. Gods word tells us in Ephesians that “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God – not by works.” You see, the only thing that guarantees success in the end, has already been done by someone else. That someone else is Jesus. He died for you and me and nothing we could do could be good enough to earn salvation. If we could earn it, then Jesus wouldn’t have had to die. He died for you and for me. He loved us that much! Just like Cade’s deer, all the work I had done at our hunting spot didn’t result in the harvesting of his deer. It was all because of the generosity of a friend who gave us the gift of letting us hunt his stand that led to that momentous occasion. Had we not taken him up on his offer, we’d still be searching for that first deer. God too, offers a gift, a gift greater than any other and one that’s availaible to everyone. In Romans 6:23, God tells us that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of god is eternal life in Christ Jesus.” Take Him up on His offer and receive the gift of His son Jesus Christ.
Special thanks to our friend Hunter Norman for letting us hunt your stand – you’re the man. To Mr. Benny, the best neighbor a person could have - thanks for helping Cade on the firing range and letting us use your rifle. We are forever grateful – God bless you both!
