I was way past due on a promise I made to my boys. I promised to them that I’d take them hunting one day. The opportunity finally arrived. Frankly, I was a bit concerned… I didn’t know whether my children would be able to “handle” or “stomach” the harsh reality of the sport. I felt that simple instruction and education about the process of life and human dominion would do the trick…
Unfortunately, in our culture, there is an overdose of Anthropomorphism. Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics to animals or non-living things. And most of this is communicated through movies and television. Although it’s just entertainment, it imparts an ignorance concerning the facts about life. We are deceived in thinking that the very resources God gave to us for survival, share the same qualities as people. The difference is that people carry the breath of God. Animals do not. We were given dominion over the animals – to steward them, grow them… to kill and eat.
I taught my children that death is part of living. And in order for anything to live, something must die. Jesus taught this at the Passover feast (last supper). God ultimately expresses this reality… Jesus was the Lamb of God that was sacrificed so we all can live!
I continued to explain that this truth is evident everywhere. The chicken nuggets and chicken sandwiches that we eat, the steak and pork chops… all the food that we eat lived at one time. I reinforced that the food they ate did not come from the supermarkets, rather that the supermarkets were just the place that sold the food. We traced most of the food that they ate and talked about how it used to live at one time. The funny thing was that as I explained this to them, they were quite bored… they already knew the facts and were anxious to learn more about the sport of hunting!
Needless to say, it was a successful day! They did great!! They were naturals! An 11-point buck and a wild boar hog! Right now, a family in Clewiston has enough pork to feed two families and we have a freezer full of venison (deer meat). If anyone wants any, let us know!
Zayne, Zion and Zealynd – Great job boys!
