Bears II

Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings—just like you! We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things and turn to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. In the past he permitted all the nations to go their own ways, but he never left them without evidence of himself and his goodness. For instance, he sends you rain and good crops and gives you food and joyful hearts. Acts 14:15-17 NLT

As I’ve mentioned before, I find animal tracks and signs a fascinating study. Attempting to determine what made the tracks and when, along with what activities may have caused the tracks to be put down the way they were are all aspects of the intrigue. Since life in the outdoors is constantly changing, I never tire of it, and hopefully never will. And who knows, someday I might even get good at this tracking business!

At times, evidence can be difficult to gather when I’m trying to figure out what took place in the past. Other times, the evidence is really easy for me to see and decipher.

In an earlier post I wrote a little about live-trapping black bears (see Bears I). The above photo illustrates the underside of one of the critters’ front paws. As I studied the bears’ pads and claws, I tried to reconcile what I was seeing with the many bear tracks I’d observed whilst hiking.

One of the simplest ways I’ve found to know the difference between a bear track and cougar track is that bears leave behind telltale marks with their claws. Tracks from cougars, bobcats, etc. rarely show a claw mark since their claws are retractable. There are other differences as well, but the evidence of the claw mark is pretty easy to recognize.

The above Scripture speaks of the evidence of God in His amazing creation, and His unsurpassed love for people. He ultimately showed that love when He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross to pay for our sins.

He makes it pretty easy to see for those who have taken the time to look at what He did.

I hope you have. Not sure how God showed His love for you at the cross?  Please see Got God?

Be sure to keep an eye out for some cool tracks the next time you’re out in the woods. Hope you have a great day.