It is no secret that my family and I are big fans of the television hit, Duck Dynasty. It is a wholesome, family-oriented show that we like watching together. Not to mention, my kids love the outdoors—a love my father shared with me and one that I now get to share with my children.
Turkey hunting season just wrapped up here in Florida. As one of my sons and I were sitting in our blind with a gobbler decoy planted in front of us, I thought about the “decoys” in our lives that look good and can lure us, but may ultimately lead us away from reality, what’s really important or maybe even into a trap.
Turkeys have sharp eyesight, but they are still capable of falling for a decoy and a turkey call. We’re the same way; one moment we think we’re on high alert and the next moment we’re deceived by decoys. Here are some decoys to look out for.
1. Television and Technology
It is so easy to plop down on the couch and be sucked in by that glowing screen for hours on end. This decoy can lure you away from your family, even when they’re right there with you watching. It’s easy to be lured into thinking that you are together since you’re sitting together when in reality, you’re very far apart. Television and technology can be used for good, but can also be a big distraction and rob you of time that you could spend cultivating your relationship with your kids.
2. Entertainment and Other Stuff
What you long for will determine what you live for. What do you long for? So many people long for deep, meaningful relationships with their spouses and kids, but fill their lives with material things and things to entertain that sometime distract them from pursuing the important things. Things we buy, like boats, cars, toys, and things we do to amuse ourselves, can all be used for good, but can lure us away from our families if not kept in proper perspective. So take a moment to see what decoys, if any, are commanding your attention more than your family.
3. Other Men or Women
Perhaps the most dangerous decoy is the one that can destroy a marriage. Men, like turkeys, use their eyes and those eyes can sometimes be fixed on something or someone that looks good and attracts them, but is not the real thing. Even getting close to that decoy can spell disaster. As men, we must be ever-vigilant and hyper-sensitive to spotting these decoys in our lives and fleeing from them just like we would flee if we were staring down the barrel of a shotgun. Of course, women can be deceived by the decoy of another man who “really understands her and really listens to her.” So, ladies beware.
Did you identify with any of the decoys I listed out above? Or are there other decoys in your life from which you need to flee?
Here are some ways to turn negative distractions into positive ones:
