This is the perfect morning...to go deer hunting! If you are not a deer hunter, you will not understand “where” I am coming from, but read anyway because you will understand “what” I am saying.

I have been on the hunt for a nice 8 point buck all season. Last Saturday, I finally saw him, but could not get a shot at him with my bow before he jolted away! This morning I woke up to the perfect conditions to go bag that buck! There’s several inches of snow on the ground! That means that he will be moving around today, and he will for sure come and check on the food plot. Plus, I love hunting in the snow because it is such a wondrous sight to behold nature covered with a white blanket!

So why am I writing this blog instead of heading to the deer stand? That is a very simple question to answer. I have two small children still sound asleep who will be ecstatic when they wake up and look outside! RIght after breakfast there is no doubt what they will be dying to do - play in the snow! I don’t have the option of hunting this morning and playing with them this afternoon because we have other obligations later today.

So what will I do? The truth is I would trade 1,000 bucks in a 1,000 hunting seasons for one opportunity to have a blast with my kids! It was an easy choice for me today.

We have hundreds of choices like this in daily life and particularly in the spiritual realm. We have to choose between options constantly. How do you weigh the options and land on the most profitable one? I believe that a deep appreciation for relationships could be our greatest tool for maneuvering through these waters. If I go hunting, I spend the morning by myself. If I play with my kids... The same guide can help us in spiritual decisions and choices. When we are faced with options, we should ask which one will deepen our relationship with brothers and sisters in Christ, and more importantly, our relationship with Christ! As David says, “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere” (Ps 84:10). Simply put, the better choice is when we move from self to others and from self to God! The surprise to us is that when we do so, we find far more joy than we ever imagined!