Outdoor Truths

Gary Miller

    I think every outdoorsman likes to think he could survive in some extreme conditions or circumstances when others could not. I often give thought to different scenarios when I’m outdoors. I think about what I would do or what supplies I would like to have if I were suddenly stranded. My first thought is a fully equipped camper with satellite TV and the NFL Sunday Ticket along with some gourmet coffee and my wife there to enjoy it all with me. But I guess that’s more of a dream vacation than a survival situation.  In reality I do try to have a small kit of supplies if something were to happen. But even more so, whenever I am in the woods or on the water, I try to assess my surroundings to determine what would be the most important things to have if something happened right here and right now. After doing this a few times and in a few settings, there are certain items that seem to always come to the forefront. The first one is matches and/or a fire-starting tool. The benefits of a fire are not only physical but also psychological. I’m not sure as to why there are so much healing properties in a fire, but it truly does soothe the mind and body in several ways. Another crucial item to me would be something that would keep me dry. As much as fire soothes the soul, water soaks the spirit. So to have a rain suit or poncho would also add something to my overall well-being. And then lastly, I would like to have a gun. Since there would probably be no Kroger or local police near, the gun would help provide me with both provision and protection.

    As you can tell, the best survival items have as much to do with one’s emotional well-being as with one’s physical. Especially as we get older, we understand the value of both, and perhaps how important it is to keep both as healthy as possible. There is no doubt that God designed us in a very synchronous way. Each part of our lives weaves itself with another in order to cause us to perform the most efficient. That’s why the Apostle Paul asked us to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. It was not because he wanted us to relinquish who we are but instead so that we would actually understand who we are by going to the One who uniquely made us. To live apart from God causes us all to miss out on the most important part of our life – the part that brings our physical and emotional together and gives them real purpose and meaning.