By Gary Miller
In my home state of Tennessee, turkey season starts on April 12th. For years the opening dates were always the last Saturday in March. But as the number of birds started to decline, the game commission changed the dates. While there were probably several reasons, I think one of the main ones was to let the hens get bred before hunting season.
While I hate waiting the two extra weeks, I think the commission’s plan worked. During the last couple of years, I have seen more turkeys than I have in several years prior. That gets me excited for this upcoming season. Another change, however, has been the limit of birds a hunter can harvest. While it used to be as many as four, we are only allowed two now. So, my season is shorter, and my opportunities are fewer. And to add to all of that, hunters are entering the field when the gobblers are acting differently than they were two weeks earlier. It seems everything has changed – except for the target. If you’ve lived long enough, this is nothing new – in every area of life.
One of the things I’m thankful for is that as I have grown older, I have never been the person who has “longed for the good ole days” or who has bemoaned the seemingly moral and ethical decline of the present generation. That’s not to say that some things are not worse now than before, but that it’s just not been something that I have embraced. To me, when I say those things, a whole host of bad things come to mind. I think of things like forgetting that my parents said the same thing about my generation. It also gives me the vibes that I am becoming unwilling to grow and learn, and that I’m becoming a cranky old man. And maybe more than anything, those thoughts give me the feeling that I should just give up on people and on even trying – that I should just mind my own business and become a hermit because this new generation is forever unredeemable. I mean why couldn’t they just leave the turkey season like it was! What do all these things have in common? My constant contentless complaints. What do my constant contentless complaints say about me? That the Spirit of God has not done His real work in my life. Don’t take my word for it.
The Apostle Paul explained succinctly what God is trying to bring about in my life. He said, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! (Gal 5:22-23 NLT) And what one should notice about these are how none of them can be done while complaining. So, when change comes, thank God that He thought you were the perfect person to be alive at this time, to show not only how to change gracefully, but how to love those whose season is different than yours.
Gary Miller has written Outdoor Truths articles for 21 years. He has also written five 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. Miller can be reached via email at gary@outdoortruths.org. Stay updated on Outdoor Truths each week by subscribing at Outdoortruths.org.
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