Chapter 23: Work to become a free-trapper.
Back in the mountain man’s day of the past, a free-trapper was what all trappers longed to be. Trappers who worked for a company were ordered around by the company- where to go, when to go, how many pelts to bring back. Free-trappers were just that, free. Free to decide how many pelts to get and when and where to attain them. Free-trappers were able to set their own prices for the pelts and weren’t required to share any of the profits. They followed their schedule and plan, they worked incredibly hard, and they had effectively learned the trade and skills necessary to be a free-trapper.
How many times as a kid did someone tell you, “If ‘so-and-so’ told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it?” Have you ever said that to someone else? I know I have! My middle child, who is a bit of a free-spirited child, once answered, “Yes! If it was safe-ish and looked like fun!” There’s a difference between working, learning, and researching a trade to become a free-trapper, able to set your own plan and know your own destiny, and someone who goes along with whatever someone else tells them to do or say. It’s a delicate balance sometimes between following the pack and making your own wise decisions.
Constantly in our home, we discuss how “just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.” Just because you can jump off that bridge, doesn’t mean you should. Working at a job that tells you exactly what to do and think is possible, but maybe not the best choice. Likewise, just because you can strike out on your own and follow your own path doesn’t mean you should if you do not have the prior and necessary knowledge and skills. Life is all about balance and learning. Many people I know are more than content to do the same thing day in and day out, eating the same food, driving the same route, working the same job. Others I know can’t stand eating the same meal twice a week (no leftover night?!!) and change jobs frequently. Being able to make a rational decision and carrying it through is a necessary life skill. Choosing what is the right thing to do and doing it, or knowing what is the wrong thing to do and not doing it is essential to a successful life.
Just a few weeks ago I was helping our middle child write a report on a famous explorer. We ordered three books from the library and read three online articles (none from Wikipedia). Much of our information differed from source to source, with different descriptions of the exploration, dates, and destinations. It was not an easy paper to write with a third-grader as we were trying to decipher the information and find what was true and what was a falsity. It was, however, a great lesson for her to know that you can’t trust just one source and that sometimes books (and the internet) get facts wrong because they all have one thing in common, they are all written by humans.
The only book that is not written by mere humans but that is God-breathed is the Bible. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work .” 2 Timothy 3:16-17. God’s Holy Word is the most useful and truthful book there is and isn’t it great that “the Word” has so many wonderful and helpful “words”? With the Bible, we can learn and research what we need to know for life- how to be a friend, how to work hard, how to teach and learn, and more! The Bible allows us to learn and practice the truth so that we are equipped for every good work. The ultimate job of being a free-trapper is complete when we have confidence in our faith and go out to teach others about the love of Jesus. Become a free trader. Learn the Good Word and go forth to share His truth!
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