Rays of Light

Being the new kid, I was thrilled with the invitation to go snipe hunting. My parents never let me do anything so it was out of the question, but I was chomping at the bit to go. For once in my life someone wanted to include me in the fun and frankly, I was miffed that I didn’t get to indulge in the adventure.

Just in case you happen to be wondering what in the world a snipe is I will explain, although I am probably breaking some sort of backwoods code of silence. There are two species of snipe. The first is a small, long-billed bird that lives in the marshes. The second type of snipe is a small nocturnal creature that lives only in deeply wooded areas; they are extremely elusive and nearly impossible to catch.

Now let me tell you what the latter type of snipe is not. A backwoods snipe is not real. This fictitious creature is a decoy meant to lure an unsuspecting dupe into humiliation and ridicule.

For high-schoolers, snipe hunting works something like this: The really “cool” kids seek out the “nerdiest” or loneliest introvert in the school and pretend to take an interest. A short time later, they ask this “reject” to go snipe hunting; banking on the fact that he or she will jump at the chance to be included. Then on a cold, dark night, the whole snipe-hunting party drives to a remote location and walks deep into the woods.

Once there, the naïve chump is given a gunnysack or pillowcase and a stick to aid in the capture. “By the way, you are far more likely to catch a snipe if you give them a snipe call,” you are told. “It sounds something like this….” Of course their victim will sound like an idiot making that call, but it’s all part of the humiliation.

The group breaks up at this point because it is “easier to catch a snipe like that.” I probably don’t have to tell you what happens next- the poor dupe is left alone in the woods and the others drive off. How long he or she is left in the woods is entirely up to the coolest of the cool.

In retrospect, I am certainly grateful that I didn’t go along on that snipe hunt; I had already endured enough arrows of humiliation back then as it was. I only wish others could escape the beguilement but sadly, innocent recruits are still being gulled into snipe hunting to this very day.

If this were just some harmless prank it would probably be more copacetic but in reality, the demoralizing outcome is not harmless at all. The culprits, motivated by malice, are intent on victimizing those who are already weak and insecure. This really angers me.

What angers me more is that all of humanity has a very real enemy out there with a similar, but infinitely more destructive agenda. Scripture says that your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. (I Peter 5:8)

The devil, otherwise known as Satan, often employs tactics similar to those of a snipe hunt. He too seeks out those individuals who are completely ignorant of his schemes or their consequences. And more often than not, he chooses fragile souls who are weak and insecure or those who are emotionally wounded already.

He then lures them into his web of deceit- usually through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (also spoken of in Scripture). Unaware that they have just become the devil’s pawn, these eager victims initially enjoy the thrills of pleasure-hunting. If only they can nab that evasive creature called happiness, the end result, they reason, will be self-fulfillment and acceptance.

Satan knows, however, that mankind can only find true happiness through communion with God, his Creator. So, he carefully maneuvers his pawns into a cold dark place far away from God until the reality sets in that the pleasures of this world were only decoys. By then, the fragile souls are demoralized and buy into the lie that they have made an insurmountable mistake and are quite alone in it.

The enemy has worked this same plan of deception from the dawn of time; the wisest man who ever lived, according to the biblical account, fell victim to this same pleasure-hunting deception. He wrote:

I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
and this was the reward for all my toil.
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.
(Ecclesiastes 2:10-11)

Perhaps you, dear reader have felt like you have been on a hunt for happiness and still feel like your gunnysack is empty. Moreover, you might feel like you have been standing alone in an emotional darkness, calling out to no avail. Notice, Scripture says the devil seeks those who he [may] devour; if you are in God’s hands, he is unable to.

Furthermore, Jesus spoke in Scripture saying Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28, 29 KJV)

In addition to rest, God wants to give you every good thing; not the temporal things of this world that are fleeting and do not really satisfy, but those things which bring true fulfillment and true happiness.

Whether you are in relationship with your heavenly Father or not, please watch this video and take its words to heart. It is my sincere prayer that you do not leave this blog site empty-handed. If nothing else, take with you the knowledge that Jesus loves you too much to leave you alone.

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