Are You Hunting the Wrong Prize?

Hunting has quickly become a passion of mine. And at the close of my first season of deer hunting, I am looking at the dawning of this remarkable experience with absolute gratitude and reflection.

I find myself at an unusual juncture in life—closing in on my 40s, happily married, blessed by my children, financially secure and amazingly blessed.

I embarked on this hunting season with a little bit of reservation. As a younger man I couldn’t enjoy spending 8 to 10 hours looking at an empty field. The voices in my head were making insistent demands on me—deadlines, payments, expectations and ambitions were relentless and wouldn’t be quieted.

As with hunting, a large portion of our lives are spent evaluating our surroundings, seeing nothing obvious and awaiting the moment when opportunity presents itself for the taking.

The isolation is no longer intimidating. The voices have been quieted. The demands have been met. The payments paid. Now the voices are not the demands of the present; those have been met. No, now the voice is distinguished. Above all, it is the voice of an expected future. This voice speaks with much deeper meaning in life. I am no longer striving for a subsistence living; now I am passionately pursuing a destiny—one for my family, one with my wife and one for my cause.

There is something organic to the nature of authentic manhood about killing something and bringing it home to grill for the family. It gives me something of a special treat knowing that I did that for my family.

Hunting serves as a great metaphor of life for me. There’s a reward for seizing the moment and providing for your family. It is the reward of the field of contest—which we often speak about—the adventurous spirit that is purposed within every man.

I encourage you to find your place of isolation, quiet the demanding voices of the present and listen to the voice of the One who speaks of your future. Seize the moment and hunt on. {eoa}

Keith Glines is social media strategist, an adventurer, husband, father and follower of Christ.

This article originally appeared at fivestarman.com.