The Hunt
There was a bird hunt that God used to change my life many years ago in Kansas. During the quail hunting adventure, my friend’s dog, a German shorthair pointer named Susie, got distracted and roamed away from the voice of her master. She found herself caught in a coyote trap. John sprinted across the field and into the woods to the horrible sounds of his screeching in pain dog. He would do anything it took to rescue his dog from the torture. In freeing the dog, his hand got caught in the powerful trap. It took all my focus and skill to eventually free him from the trap. Susie watched as her master took the pain himself. They sustained painful injuries. The hunt abruptly ended. As we walked a mile back to the car, I noticed that the dog never left the knee of John. She kept looking up at him in awe with the eyes of knowing. Though she was trained to hunt, and we were walking through a field of birds, her attention was riveted on her master. She had no interest in anything else in the world.
We eventually hunted again a few weeks later after they healed. It was very different. Susie stayed close and checked in with John often with a big smile and tail waggle. She was changed. She was in awe and lived the rest of her life in this manner. Hunting, her calling, was just an excuse to hang out with the one who saved her. She hunted with freedom and joy. She never broke command again.
What I saw that day was what Jesus did for us. When we understand that he took the trap and the pain, our response forever more is awe, and awe kills legalism. We no longer strive to earn His favor, we are compelled by awe instead, knowing His love freed us from a life of pain.
This was the day that I finally got it. The day awe entered my life and legalism in all of its forms died. I can’t earn His love, it was given freely. But through awe I am compelled to walk with him in my calling with joy and peace and freedom. And I endeavor to stay close to the Master’s voice on this great sacred journey.
“It’s for freedom that Christ came to set us free.”
- Galatians 5:1
Join Dr. Cook in the locker room, behind the bench, and in the boardroom as he shares the hidden principles of greatness. This unique vantage point and the stories that unfold will inspire and equip you on the journey to your dreams. greatness is open to all but only pursued by a few. It is the space beyond success where calling and legacy meet and a noble heart is required.
Get the book for yourself or as a gift and invite your loved ones to discover the space beyond success, the place of their true calling.