The sun was starting to set and the temp was dropping quickly. It was the second to last day of my annual elk hunting trip to Colorado. The pressure was on! Not a single legal size bull elk had yet to come in the range of my bow. I figured I only had about an hour before darkness fell, so my confidence began to slip away like the colors of the evening sky.
I was trusting God and really felt he was hearing my prayers just as I was hearing bulls bugling out of sight, just up the canyon…loud and clear! As I often do while out in the woods or in a blind, I was praying. It couldn’t have been 30 seconds following my prayer, and I heard a crash coming through the brush!
I was jacked! I really thought this was my shot! That this was the “one!” Sure enough, a legal size bull walked right to me and then stopped about 23 yards away, giving me a great shot angle! I drew my bow, took aim, while trying to gain control of my “shakes” and… let the arrow fly! I saw the arrow hit, I knew without a doubt he was heading for the cooker! Sure enough, the shot dropped the elk not to far from where it had been standing. I saw it go down, and didn’t I need to wait long before leaving the blind to retrieve my elk!
As I walked up to my elk (it was probably more of a “ralk”, you know, a sort of combo between a walk and a run) I anxiously took out my blackberry (that was a kind of cell phone back then. LOL!) so I could take a pic to send to my hunting partner…my WIFE!
That’s right, I said my WIFE!!! She called me almost immediately. When I answered she was crying on the other end! I am thinking right away, “Oh no,” what is this all about? Relief smacked me in the face as I realized they were tears of joy! She was celebrating a victorious hunt with me! “God is great,” she said, “and I am so proud of you Commando! You’re the man!”
That was a defining moment for me as I knew God had blessed me with such a loving and supportive woman! I can say without hesitation that she has consistently been that way ever since, even if I only shoot a rabbit or squirrel!
It really got me thinking…How in the world did I get this blessed? What makes my situation so unique? First of all, my wife knows that God’s word says: When two get married, “they become one in flesh.” She understands that my God given desires are who I am. Because of this, she desires what I desire. I’m sure I could get very deep and lengthy with everything God’s been teaching me about this but I will save that for another time.
The “Tree Stand Treasure” to learn here is this: If your wife is this way then I am sure I don’t need to tell you how blessed you are. But, if by chance she’s not that supportive, don’t try and change your wife’s thinking or her perspective. Instead, “love her as Christ loved the church” and be the spiritual leader in your home while letting God work on your wife’s heart! I’m sure that by showing her that kind of love, its only a matter of time.
Well, it’s time to head to the woods! God Bless and happy hunting!
Landon – “Lando Commando