STAYING FOCUSED FOR SUCCESS

Knowing it could be many hours before getting out of my deer stand or even seeing a deer, I nestled into my seat and patiently waited for the sun to rise. While sitting in the darkness I reminisced of previous hunts and felt certain there were deer sneaking all around me. Finally, the sun began to rise, just as it has for the past 31 deer hunter opening mornings. 

As the darkness gives way to the light, my eyes and ears go to work. My head slowly pivots from side to side like an owl scanning for field mice. In recent years it takes a bit longer for my eyes to focus. 

An experienced hunter could see many possible deer in this picture

In the twilight everything looks like a deer; the short oak tree with its brown leaves, the trunk of a fallen pine tree; even my own shadow looks like a deer. My ears pick up sound as well; the flutter of a chickadee’s wings swooping overhead and the woodpecker looking for breakfast in a dead tree.  I also hear a red squirrel chattering away; maybe to warn me of an approaching deer or maybe to warn the deer of me. Nevertheless, I am completely focused on my immediate surroundings. My eyes zoom in around each tree and behind them looking for any movement. As the sun continues to rise the frost begins to settle on my shoulders and everything else in my life fades away; it’s just me and the woods. I know that the longer I stay focused on my objective, the higher percentage of success, so for countless hours I continue to focus on the woods in front of me and nothing else. Now, if only I had that type of focus in other areas of my life.

Proverbs 4:18 The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter til the full light of day. 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.