We Are Going On A Bear Hunt

For the past three months the choice bedtime book in my house has been We’re Going On a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. The classic book describes a family going through the elements of nature in search of a bear. We have turned the story into a fun game as we explore God’s beauty in search of an imaginary bear. We’ve been chased by the bear a few times. But our family likes to chase the bear.
Have you ever had one of those moments where you do something crazy and ask yourself in retrospect: what was I thinking? As a family sometimes hunting our imaginary bear I tell myself this is crazy. Normal people don’t chase bears, we run away from them with all the strength we have. But looking in the rearview mirror, I have come to realize that the biggest risks were the greatest opportunities. The greatest opportunities were the largest bears. I’m not a risk taker, but I have realized that taking no risks is the greatest risk of all.
Sometimes God-given opportunities are disguised as blood-thirsty bears. And how we react when we encounter those bears will determine our destiny. We can cower in fear and run away from our greatest challenges. Or we can chase our God ordained purpose and seize it for all its worth.
In the church we talk about sins of commission and omission. Sins of commission are those made up of the list of don’ts. However, there is also the sin of omission. This is those things that we should have and could have done. Just because you don’t do anything wrong doesn’t mean that you actually have done anything right. Goodness is not the absent of badness. Some Christians simply focus on running away, staying away, and putting away. We need that at times. But sometimes we are called to go on a bear hunt. In the church we have become too passive. Most of what we see in the church is a spirituality that is reactive instead of proactive. Following Jesus is dangerous! It will always cost you something. Yet if we are going to discover our God-given purpose, live our God-given life, and use our God-given gifts we must be willing to chase the bears. Our greatest regrets in life will be missed opportunities. “I’m going on a bear hunt, I’m going to catch a big one!”