If You See a Bear

On the day that Mary and I hiked at the base of Longs Peak we noticed something different about the signs and warnings.  All of the places we had hiked before had a few signs and warnings about bears, but this location had “If You See a Bear” warnings everywhere.  They were so many warnings it was almost as if the bear union had taken out ads.  In case you are wondering, here is the critical information you need to know about bears:

If you see a bear…

• Stay calm.  Pick up children.
• Do not run, but back away from the bear.
• Never get between a mother bear and her cub.
• Make lots of noise: shout, clap your hands, clang pots and pans together to scare the bear away.
• If possible, slowly store away any exposed food or scented items.
• If attack, Fight Back!

When I first saw this sign I had the following reactions:

• Stay calm – really?  I’m having second thoughts just from reading the sign.
• Pick up children – I’m pretty sure I can out run most small children.
• Make lots of noise – not a problem
• Store away scented items – if I see a bear… I will be a scented item.
• Fight Back – it’s impossible to fight back if you’re passed out

Well despite the warnings we headed up the trail on our away to see the abandon mining shaft.  All along the way the bear warning signs kept popping into our heads and we began looking for signs of a bear being in the area.  We weren’t sure what those signs were, but we were looking for them.  As a matter of fact, that would have been some useful information to include in the signage.  Come to think of it, they only wanted to warn us – not help us.  Maybe I was right about the bears having an ad campaign.  Hmm…

As we went along the way we enjoyed our hike and enjoyed having another day in such a beautiful place.  Except…. Except for the fact that we were both concentrating on the bear warning.  So much so that we convinced ourselves that there were bears in the area and it would probably be a good idea to turn around and head back down the mountain.  After all, we had left our pots and pans back at the condo.  So we turned around.  We had hiked for several miles and were not too far away from our destination and we turned around.

That’s the way life is sometimes.  You and I can get so worried about all the things that could go wrong that we fail to enjoy the journey and at times we fail to reach our goals in life.  We worry about our children, our finances, all the things that could go wrong with cars and houses.  We worry about our health or the health of our loved ones.  We worry about the economy.  We worry about …. You name it and can be worried over.  I even know people that worry when their life is going “to good”. 

When you and I worry we miss out on enjoying all the blessings given to us each day.  When you worry about what you don’t have, you miss out on being thankful for what you do have.  Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

I’m not saying to ignore all the warning signs, but I am encouraging you to not live your life based on warnings.  Rather, live your life based on promises.  Jesus went on to say, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

As you go along the way remember to live according to the promises of God and as always….

Love God.  Go Love Others.

Written in loving memory of my Papa Woodle who used to spend hours and hours telling me bedtime stories about a bear that would come to visit him looking for small children to put in his stew.  He would tell the stories and Granny would get on to him for trying to scare me just before bed.  The next night he would tell another story and we would do it all over again.  I miss those stories and even though it’s been 40 years since his death I still miss him.