Through the Motions

Through the Motions
by Brodie Swisher

Some years ago while on an out-of-state hunt, I had the opportunity to spend some time in hunting camp with a fella that appeared to have won a shopping spree at Cabelas. The guy had it all! He had the latest and greatest in camo, complete with matching pants, shirt, vest, jacket, gloves, and cap. His camo clothes were clean and crisp, and I honestly think he was afraid to get them dirty. His high-end binoculars and rangefinder were proudly dangling from his neck, regardless of whether he was actually hunting or just hanging out at camp. He had the finest equipment. From the year’s best selling bow to the spendy Italian leather boots on his feet, this dude had it all! It was enough to make some guys in camp grunt with jealousy (not me of course!). But what I found interesting about this guy is that while he loved to dress the part, he had actually never shed the blood of any critter that walks, crawls, or flies across the earth. He liked to look as if he were an avid hunter to his peers, yet when it came to spending time in the woods in pursuit of game he was lost. By his own confession, he always climbed down from his stand before primetime to escape the woods before darkness fell. He headed in to the timber after daylight in the mornings in an effort to avoid stumbling in the dark, or becoming disoriented as to his whereabouts. He came in early for lunch and napped well into the afternoon. After hearing his story, there was no wonder as to why he failed to produce year after year on the critters he pursued. He was going through the motions to look like a hunter, yet he wasn’t willing to do what it takes to get it done. The end result was a season of regrets.

Success in the woods takes so much more than simply dressing up in camo and sitting around the campfire. You gotta live it out! You have to stay in the hunt, even when it hurts. The cost of success on the hunt is great, and it will often take its toll on our bodies physically and emotionally….but the rewards are priceless!

I’ll be real honest. I don’t want to come to the end of my season of life and find myself with a long list of regrets. I don’t want to simply go through the motions of this life only to be filled with regrets at the end of my journey. I want more than a life full of playing the part. I want to truly live it out. I want to be the husband, father, and child of God that I’ve been called to be now, instead of reflecting back on wasted years later. I want no regrets at the end of my race.

A song by Matthew West features the lyrics…
I don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything?
Instead of going through the motions

Are there things in your life right now that need to change in order to prevent later regrets when you find yourself at the end of the journey? Live it out…No Regrets!

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