The Jealous Hunter

The Jealous Hunter
by Brodie Swisher

I recently spent a beautiful, cool and crisp morning in the treestand. It was the kind of morning where you just know deer are going to be on the move. With the whitetail rut about to break loose, I was determined to sit until at least noon. But despite the perfect day, and the ample hours spent in the stand, I didn’t see squat! Not one deer! The woods were dead. Around lunchtime, my excitement for a perfect morning in the deer woods turned to frustration. Irritated at the lack of activity, I climbed down from my stand and headed for the truck. “Maybe the deer just didn’t move this morning,” I thought to myself as I made the drive home. About that time, I approached a small SUV on the two-lane in front of me with something strapped to its roof. I sped up to get a closer look. Sure enough, on a morning when I woulda swore there wasn’t a deer in the world, the hunter in front of me had found success on a nice buck. A mature deer strapped to the roof of a tiny Honda SUV is quite a sight. It looked huge!

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The sight brought a smile to my face. I couldn’t help but think of how excited this hunter must have been to experience success on that morning. I laughed as I thought about how entertaining it must have been to watch that hunter wrestle that buck up on top of that little truck. The proud hunter swerved all over the road as he did his best to steer with his left hand and work his cell phone in his right hand. Texting success photos to friends just couldn’t wait! I found myself proud for this hunter. As I traveled down the road, tailgating a little too close, I shared in the excitement of the hunt for this individual. It was his moment of glory…and it was pretty cool to watch.
But there was a time when things would have been different.
There was a time when jealousy would have washed all over me at the sight of another hunter’s success when I experienced only struggle. Have you been there? Do you share in the joy of your buddy’s success when a kill shot pops up on your cell phone or email…or do you cringe with a feeling of jealousy? Jealousy often makes us say stupid things, act in inappropriate ways, and do things that ought not be a part of our character.
James 3:16 says, “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”
I recently read a letter from one hunter to another that was riddled with jealous accusations and absurd untruths. One hunter’s struggle for success led to more than they could handle. Bottled up bitterness and jealousy had spilled over into inappropriate actions.
Whether in the woods, or your daily routine of life, I want to encourage you to leave no room for jealousy in your life and in your relationships.

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