Outdoor Truths: Regroup and Rearrange
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By Gary Miller
Gary Miller
My ground blind leaks. Yours does too. Yeah, I know you have the top-of-the-line, largest, most cushy, made-of-the-best-waterproof-material-blind money can buy. I’m sure it’s nice. But it leaks. It may not leak as much as mine. It may not leak in the same places as mine. But it leaks. Those leaks may not show up until the hardest rain, but, you know, it leaks. I’m sorry. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. You can still claim superiority in ground blind wars. But it leaks. And sometimes those leaks are all you can think about. I sat in the rain, bored from seeing no deer, and from having no cell signal in order to keep my mind occupied. So, my leaks became my obsession.
What I discovered was there is one thing that causes every blind to leak. It’s not faulty material or holey seams. It’s not the lack of sealant. It’s windows. Yes, windows -those things that we actually can’t do without if we want to hunt. It’s the difference between a tent and a hunting blind. It’s those things that are necessary if we are going to accomplish what we are going to accomplish. So, dealing with leaks is just something we have to endure if we are going to get those opportunities. And it’s odd that as I write, I feel like I’m talking about something else.
I get a punch in the side telling me, “Gary, you really can’t reach those people that I need you to come in contact with, if you’re in a tent and not a blind.” I get another punch that tells me not to think my sins are any better than the sins of the worst individual. A leak is a leak. A sin is a sin. I get yet another jab that reminds me to not be so concerned about getting a little world on you. Greater is He that is in you, than He that is in the world.
And if that’s not enough jabs and pokes, one last somewhat audible admonition tells me, “Gary, have you noticed this whole conversation has been about you and your blind, and your obsession with it? Doesn’t that sound just a tad bit selfish? I don’t think this is included in the ‘Love God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself’ lesson I gave.” So, I regroup, and rearrange my seat so my thoughts are on more important things and so that my view is of what’s outside, where I’m supposed to be looking anyway.
• Gary has written the Outdoor Truths article for 20 years. He has also written four books which include compilations of his articles and a father/son devotional. He also speaks at wild-game dinners and men’s events for churches and associations.
