February 8, 2011 Next Generation

A friend emailed me pictures from the last day of the NC waterfowl season.  Here's a great shot of 2 young men, sons of hunting buddies, that enjoyed the day.  If I couldn't be there with them the next best thing is getting photographs of their adventures.  One, I can't believe how tall Bailey and Brice have gotten in the 2 years since we've been gone.  Two, they're both apparently better shots than their fathers!  

Pictures like this always make me think of the next generation of sportsmen.  What hardships will they face, what new legislation will they have to adhere to, will they even be allowed to hunt?  For the sake of these two young hunters and the 3 junior outdoorsmen and 1 junior outdoorswoman in my house (all of which possess their lifetime hunting & fishing licenses) I certainly hope so.  I've tried pretty hard to instill in each of them a love and respect for the outdoors.  Hopefully some of it has stuck.

There are other things I'm hoping will rub off on my kids, as well the most important being my faith.  Deuteronomy 6:4-10  says "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!  You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up."  This is not an option and it's not something I can be passive about.  The next generation is important to God. 

On the way home from dropping my off 2 oldest boys at school each morning I pass a billboard for Philip Patek watch company.  It says, "You don’t own our watch:  you merely take care of it for the next generation." I looked up these watches and my Casio-wearing mind was blown away by the prices.  You could buy a beachfront home on OBX for the same price as some models.  However, I dig the slogan and I think it applies to both my stewardship of wildlife and my beliefs in and love for God.  So, I'm refocusing on the importance of the next generation.  May we all be strengthened as we teach these things diligently to our sons (and daughters)!