Lessons from Elk Hunting: Perseverance

I love hunting. It is a big heritage in my family on both sides. There is even a tradition on my side that the girls can’t get their ears pierced until they get their first buck, kind of a coming-of-age/right-of-passage. I was ten and it was a very proud moment, for myself and also for my father. Every October we take a break from homeschool and the kids stay with my parents for a week so I can hunt elk. Honestly, I enjoy it as much for the time to myself as for the hunting. For me, hunting is more than just getting an animal. I love being out in God’s creation, in the stillness, beauty and silence, away from distractions and busyness and noise, just being alone with God. It’s as close to Eden and the way life was created to be as we can get in this fallen world.

 

Last year my daughter was old enough to start hunting and very excited to join the family legacy. However, she was miffed when I mentioned our annual break in October. She wanted to stay so that I could take her hunting. We had already planned for hunting to be a special time with dad since he is vastly more experienced and it would give them something to bond over. She was impatient and wanted to jump in when season opened. She didn’t want to wait until November when deer hunting is better. (And she reiterated this argument again this year) I tried to explain all this, along with the fact that it would take away my chance of getting an elk, to which she replied, “What’s the point, you never get anything anyway so why not take me hunting instead?”…

 

Unfortunately, she was right. In all my years of hunting, I get a deer every year but have yet to even see a legal elk while I was hunting. Her words rang a chorus I had said to myself many times, almost every year usually in the middle of the season when I was hot, tired, discouraged and battling deer ticks (the most annoying insect I’ve encountered). I would come home disgusted and questioning why I even bothered. What is the point of continuing to attempt something at which I had never been successful? Was it really worth all this misery?!

 

How many times do we face obstacles and wonder that very thing; is it worth it? Why keep going? Will our efforts do any good? Why keep fighting for a difficult marriage after 5 or 10 or 20 years with no sign of improvement? Why keep trying to raise godly children when they seem bent on doing the opposite of what we say? Why keep praying for the prodigal to return when their path seems ever darker? Why pray for healing when we only get sicker? Why keep sharing the Gospel with a friend after years of no interest or sign of acceptance?

 

Hebrews 11:13-40 New American Standard Bible 1995

All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come. By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones. By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace. And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

 

There is so much here but I want to focus on the first and last verses: they died before the promises were fulfilled (though they saw and welcomed them from a distance) because God provided something better. God always keeps His promises, but they don’t always happen how we think or when we expect. Sometimes they are not fulfilled in our lifetime. Other times it can take many years. Moses waited 80 years before he stepped into his role of delivering the Israelites. Joseph waited 13 years for his promise to be fulfilled while enduring slavery and imprisonment, and he prophesied the Israelites return to the Promised Land but that took almost 400 years. Rebekah died while Jacob was still in exile, she never saw him gain his inheritance. Sarah died before Isaac married and never saw her grandchildren. Abraham and Sarah had to wait 25 years for their promise to be fulfilled. So why keep trying? Why keep hoping if we won’t get it now or if we never see it happen at all? God provides something better. Those who went before us kept trying. They kept hoping. They stayed the course because God provided something better.

 

Romans 5:1-5 New American Standard Bible 1995

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

 

I used to be confused by this verse because I have gotten my hopes up and been disappointed often. How can the Bible say that hope does not disappoint when I have been disappointed so many times by not receiving that for which I had hoped? The reason is that I put my hope in what I wanted rather than in God. I hoped for an outcome, for things to happen the way I wanted. I was hoping in my selfish desires rather than in God and His will. Hope does not disappoint when we realize that God’s will is better than ours. There is nothing wrong with asking for what we want, but we need to be openhanded, willing to accept a trade of our best for God’s best because His way is always better.

 

Galatians 6:9 New American Standard Bible 1995

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

 

Unfortunately, sometimes we grow weary; we get impatient and try to take things into our own hands. Abraham and Sarah didn’t want to wait for God to provide an heir so they came up with a human alternative to the solution (Abraham having a son through their servant Hagar.) In hunting terms this would be equivalent to poaching. It may produce the desired end (putting meat on the table) but it is going against the ways of God by breaking the law refusing to trust God to provide. God never blesses sin but He can redeem it if we repent. Sadly, though Abraham and Sarah did not live to see their descendants number the stars, they did live to rue the day they tried to play God. Sarah was jealous of and despised by Hagar because Hagar conceived a son, Hagar’s son Ishmael mistreated Sarah’s son Isaac, and Ishmael’s descendants have persecuted Isaac’s descendants for millennia. Refusing to trust God to provide and taking matters into our own hands always has negative consequences. We always pay the price of sin we do not repent of whether we realize that is the cause of our painful circumstances or not.

 

James 1:12 New American Standard Bible 1995

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

 

We can keep following God’s ways when it gets hard, when it seems hopeless, when we may never see the fruit of our work because it is doing more than just accomplishing an end. It is growing us. It is producing in us fruit and character that cannot be diminished. Notice that Romans 5:3 says that trials and tribulation produce perseverance. Trying to avoid them or solve things our way instead of God’s prevents the fruits of perseverance, trust and faith that God’s way would have produced. God blesses us when we trust Him and persevere in His way.

 

Of course there are some things that maybe should come to an end. Maybe we meet with opposition at work because God is preparing us for a change, but those times require discernment and prayer. The presence of obstacles and problems does not necessitate change. In fact, many of the things for which we labor are the hardest in life (marriage, parenting, evangelizing) and yet are the ones in which we should never give up or cease striving and persevering because they are meant to be lifelong. When we give up on them we are ultimately giving up on God’s ability to work in those people and situations. They are worth fighting for to our dieing breath.

 

One of my favorite stories is the Lord of the Rings, and one of the reasons I love it so much is the theme of honor, valor, courage that pervades every character. As I was thinking about the subject of perseverance, this quote by Master Samwise came to mind. He says it in the middle of the story when things seemed most difficult and impossible:

 

Frodo: I can’t do this, Sam.

Sam: I know.
It’s all wrong
By rights we shouldn’t even be here.
But we are.
It’s like in the great stories Mr. Frodo.
The ones that really mattered.
Full of darkness and danger they were,
and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end.
Because how could the end be happy.
How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened.
But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow.
Even darkness must pass.
A new day will come.
And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.
Those were the stories that stayed with you.
That meant something.
Even if you were too small to understand why.
But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand.
I know now.
Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t.
Because they were holding on to something.

Frodo: What are we holding on to, Sam?

Sam: That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.

 

The key to perseverance is keeping the goal in mind, and that goal is not necessarily the end we want, but the greater work which God is doing. We are small parts in a larger scope, a grander scheme that goes far beyond us. Just like Joseph endured not only for himself but ultimately to save his family and nation, even though he did not know that was the end goal God had planned for him. He remained faithful and righteous simply because it was right, and God used that for His greater purpose. If he had given up, it would have been an end not only of his dream but possibly of his nation.

 

Life is hard. Righteousness is not easy. It can be hard to see the light when we are surrounded by darkness. The struggle against sin can be especially daunting because it is voracious and persistent. After a lifetime of resisting and struggling we may feel no closer to conquering it than when we started. Often, it may feel like discipline instead of a blessing, but it has a purpose, a good purpose. We need to make sure that we endure to the end and don’t give up; otherwise we will be overcome by bitterness at struggling for no reason which will poison our lives and those around us. However, even now we have not yet persevered so hard that we have literally shed blood over it. The only person who has ever done that is Jesus.

 

Hebrews 12:1-15 New American Standard Bible 1995

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
Nor faint when you are reproved by Him;
For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
And He scourges every son whom He receives.”

It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;

 

We can persevere because Jesus did. He came to earth and became a man, forsaking His privilege and enduring every part of life we encounter so that He could understand what we endure and encourage us, so that He could fight for us. He succeeded in the battle against sin and death and defeated it once and for all. He died so that we do not have to. Of course we will all die physically, but we do not have to die spiritually. He paid our debt and redeemed us from bondage to this dark sinful world. We can live in light and righteousness, with hope and a good future which God has planned for us. We can have the strength, courage and hope to persevere if we will keep our eyes on Jesus, reminding ourselves of His goodness and faithfulness and the hope for which we endure.

 

So it is the end of October and hunting season is over, did I get an elk this year? No, I did not, but as my husband says when I voice my discouragement in hunting, “You may not get anything if you go out, but you can’t get anything if you don’t go out.” So I will keep hunting even if I don’t see anything, I will continue to teach and train my children no matter how resistant they are, I will persist in praying for those I love to know the truth of God’s love and sacrifice even if I never see them accept it, not hoping for my desired goal but because it is good and right, trusting in God’s good plan and purpose, doing the work He has for me. Max Lucado said that “Prayer is not asking God to do what we want but trusting that He will do what is best.” I can do all this because God gives me strength, because He is faithful to provide and forgive, because He went before me and has good planned for me, knowing that He will provide something better.

 

If you have not accepted Jesus’ sacrifice for your sins, will you now? Will you give your life to Him so He can give you a life of light and hope and the strength to endure and live for Him, accomplishing the good purpose He created you for?

 

If you have accepted Jesus, will you commit to live for Him, surrendering your personal desires and goals for the better purpose God has for you? Will you keep your eyes on Him and seek His strength to endure to the end?