I love to duck hunt. I love to watch a mallard drake sail over me in short, green timber. I call to him and he banks slow and to the right, flys down wind and eases back up wind making slow beats with his wings and turning his head from side to side to find me. I quake slow and soft as he slips toward me into the wind. He flutters straight overhead as he drifts down into the decoy spread and one quick shot dispatches the drake. There’s just one problem. You have to get to the spot in the woods that they like to fly over.

That sounds simple enough but it wasn’t simple at all today. Today it was very foggy and I was trying to hunt in the Cut-Off Creek WMA. I was trying to reach my favorite spot at 5:30am so it was dark and that was complicated by the fog and the fact that the refuge was full of people. I hate to hunt close to someone so I kept moving farther and farther into the management area to find a safe and quiet place to hunt.

How did I do that, you may ask? With the help of my trusty compass. You see, I couldn’t see any land marks and the people were confusing me and the fog was knocking the visibility down to zero. I was beginning to doubt that I knew where I was going and I was starting to wonder if the compass was lying but I just kept following the needle to the north. I was sure that I could find ducks and escape the crowd if I just kept going north. And I was right. I did both. I found birds and lost people. The compass saved the day.

What is your compass in life? How often do you check it? If I had read that compass in the parking lot and then not looked again for an hour or two, I would have been as lost as a goose (pun intended). If I’d tried to find my spot without a compass I’d have been going around in circles the whole time. You’ve got to have a compass and you’ve got to check it continually for it to do you any good.

“You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Psalm16.11) “I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm119.10,11) “I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” (Psalm119.15,16) David knew about wandering off. He knew about coming back as well. He knew the “True Compass” for life and kept it close to him at all times. When David lost his way, he could always find his way back by looking to God and to His word.

How about you? Have you checked your life compass lately? Are you on course or just wandering around in circles. It’s probably time to take a reading, get your barings and start out fresh. Hold on to your compass. Your going to need it.