What does it mean to provide? I often see other outdoorsmen who look like they should be on the cover of a hunting magazine with their perfectly matching, name brand, camo and I think, “I wish I could look as good as they do”.
I don’t know about you, but I find myself often comparing myself to others. I have a friend who loves to hunt, but he refuses to shoot a buck in California unless it’s a Boon & Crockett scoring deer. Now, on the flip side, my buck last year was a whopping 1x2, which, in California is barely legal.
I used to be embarrassed to show people pictures of the deer I shot because the size of the antlers didn’t measure up to our social media standard. But then, I always come back to why I started hunting in the first place. It’s not always about the size of the deer’s rack, even though I would be lying if I said this wasn’t a constant struggle for me. This is especially true when I’m seeing guys on social media killing it with monster scoring bucks. However, I remind myself that it is about the memories I make with my friends and family, and the food I get to put on my table to provide for my family.
1 Timothy 5:8says “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever”.
Now, I know provision comes in many forms, but for the sake of conversation, hunting gives me a way to provide sustenance for my family. Sure, I could go to the local store and buy some steroid infused beef which ate who knows what, and lived its entire life in you know what, but I don’t. Instead, I provide clean, organic meat which my family thrives on. I don’t want to be a hypocrite and say I never eat meat from the store, because on occasion, when I have guests over, I do like to buy a big fat ribeye from Costco. But, let’s be honest. Who can afford that on a regular basis at $45 for two steaks? Not me.
When it comes to being a provider, I want to give my family the best that I can. I won’t always be able to give them everything they may want, but what they will never run short of is my love for them, and red meat.
When God led His people out of Egypt and into the desert he provided for them in the most grueling conditions. He provided manna which was a type of bread that tasted like honey and you’ll never guess what the main course was. That’s right, it was quail.
Exodus 16:13says, “That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.”
I find it very interesting that when God provided for His People He didn’t provide vegan tacos, or even tofu soup. In fact, out of all the possibilities in the world to feed His people, God chose wild game. Can I just say, if wild game is good enough for God, then it's good enough for me and my family! Just some food for thought.
Written by, ProStaff Member Kevin Ratliff
