People either love hunting, or they hate it. They either love venison, or .. not, though no one has ever had venison at my house and not liked it, or even knew that it WAS venison, for that matter.
If a person doesn’t like to hunt, it’s usually for one of two reasons – either they don’t like sitting in the cold, or they’re bored. I have to admit, it CAN be boring at times, but I love the quiet. I can read, do word searches, memorize scripture, and write. I actually enjoy staring at the scenery.
It’s contemplative; It’s inspirational.
Take evening twilight for an example. AKA: ‘Showtime’.
There’s something magical that happens at dawn, when the sun’s rays first hit the tops of the trees and the transition from morning twilight to full on daytime is announced by the singing of the birds. Everything wakes up, and the woods are suddenly busy.
Better than that though, is evening twilight, when the sun slips below the horizon, and for just a little while, nature holds its collective breath.
The birds that had been scratching in the brush flock one last time to the field, noisily calling to each other and then they’re suddenly gone. There’s a dead calm, as the breeze that had been flitting around all day suddenly dies and the air gets heavy. Shadows start to creep across the grass, and you can feel the transition creation makes as day melts into night; one group of creatures going to sleep, the other group waking up, both creeping ever so slowly so as not to be noticed by the other. One second there’s nothing – no sound, no movement. The next, the rabbits are on the field, bats are in the sky, and the call of the American Woodcock is letting everyone else know it’s time to get up.
Oh, and if you’re lucky, you might see a deer.
‘Showtime’ for me isn’t just about waiting for something with antlers to make their appearance. It’s the awe I experience every time I get to watch nature do this miraculous dance. I hold my breath in anticipation of it and wonder what I’ll see in the few moments of light there are left before the world is plunged into darkness.
I wonder if God did any of His creating during these magical moments when the world is still. It seems like a supernatural, spiritual time to me; like it would be the perfect time to do something only God could do.