Saturday Devotion: Jason Williams We launched the boat opening morning of duck season and of course, as with any other year we were running late. This Opening morning was special, not just because we live for hunting ducks but because it was my friend Teddy’s first time ever going. We motored across the Hudson river in the pitch black darkness as fast as we could while searching for giant root systems attached to floating trees, runaway docks and any other debris the Hudson can normally carry that will end your hunting career or life. Teddy had to be nervous in my 14 foot v-bottom, not seeing the obstacles that were out there, not knowing the depth under the boat and getting bounced around by invisible waves but he trusted me. He trusted me enough to place his life in my hands. When we got across the river to our destination we had to navigate under railroad tracks. Teddy could see that coming, what he didn’t know was that beneath the surface we vertical pylons, telephone pole thick posts that at one time supported an older structure. I told him they were there and he trusted me to navigate safely through them and under the tracks. Once inside the bay I turned the motor off and pulled it from the water. The first part of our journey had ended and the motor had served us well but it was no longer allowed to be used in these waters. I explained that to Teddy and he understood. I put 2 oars in the oarlocks and began rowing. I rowed for what seemed an eternity while continuously checking my watch. Then the boat slowed down. I pulled the oars up, as their time too had come to pass. We had slowed because the mud, we call soft-pan was rubbing against the hull. I explained to Teddy that we had to get out and push the boat the rest of the way. Waders would be our next method of transportation. This was unexpected but a faulty tide chart had thrown a new obstacle in our way. I explained to my friend that we would be pushing from the back of the boat because we’d be using the boat to hold us up out of the mud in between steps. The mud, in this place seems to have no real bottom. If you stand in it without moving it will take you to your knees, thighs and…well I never stood still long enough to figure the rest out. In addition to the mud there are thousands of 5 pointed balls of spikes that you get to feel as they attempt to shred your waders with each step. Water chestnuts are what they are officially called but we call them cowheads. Simply, because they look like a black colored cow head. ( yes we keep it simple up here too). I explained this to Teddy and although he didn’t like it he understood and trusted me enough to step out of the boat in the dark and into the mud and water. We began our trek through towards our destination and it was rough. The water had withdrawn enough from the bay we were in to put barley an inch of water above the mud. We were sinking, struggling and pressing on. Beyond exhausted I began chanting “ push, two, three, push, two, three” as a cadence so we could work together. Then Teddy, who had been working harder than I knew began to heave. He threw up out there in the middle of the bay because he refused to give up and when he was done he gave me a nod and said let’s keep going. We got to where we needed to go that morning, regardless of the different methods we had to use, the energy we had to expend and the obstacles we had to face because the goal was more important than the struggle. Teddy was willing to trust me to guide him through total darkness because he believed I would not let him down. We shot a lot that morning and went home with a few ducks and Teddy’s first bird. In this life we too have someone we can rely on, a guide who will bring us through the darkness, past all obstacles and to a place of promise. In fact, unlike me, Jesus will even carry us during our moments of exhaustion. We must learn to persevere for the goal is worthwhile. If we as believers put a tenth the effort into our fight for salvation that we, as duck hunters, do every day of the season then that would truly be something to write about. This Opening morning of Duck Season in NY I look fondly back to the times I got to spend with my friend Teddy. You are truly and deeply missed my friend. Rest in peace brother, today I light up the sky in your name… Pslams 105:8 “He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations” https://youtube/watch?v=8LQH6UDi15s
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 02:32:33 +0000
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