Like a Hike

"Anybody wanna go for a hike?"

Those six words began an adventure I hope I never forget. On Friday afternoon, a good friend and I set off to find a trail he'd hiked about 15 times, but not in the last 10 years.

A call to another friend helped us locate the trailhead, but it soon became clear that the trail would not be so easy to follow.

Is it any wonder that we blazed our own trail?

The trail went here and there and everywhere with paths unclear. So we blazed our own trail! Ours also went here and there and everywhere, but always onward and upward to higher ground. And the views along the way? Incredible!

Looking back on the grand adventure of Friday's hike, I've realized a few things ...

Following God is a lot like following a friend on a trail you've never hiked before. You don't know where you're going, but He does. He's hiked this trail many times before, and He's excited to lead you on it.

This fallen log was at least 20 feet off the ground with
sharp rocks below. Steve went first and coached me safely to the end,
taking the heavy backpack that almost made me fall.

Are risks involved? Yes. 

The path of life is not easy to follow, and we encounter plenty of dangers along the journey--slippery stones, difficult reaches, places where we feel like we're gonna crash to sharp rocks below.

But God is the trustworthy friend who goes before us. He takes the risks first. When we feel we're about to fall, He offers to take burdens off our back and coach us to safety.

Steve pulls his way up out the cave, entering the light.

Sometimes you reach safety only to find that another difficult challenge immediately awaits you. When we reached the end of that log, our options for moving forward were limited. In fact, the only good option was to enter a dim cave and push ourselves up between rocks to reach the light at the top.

What a gift the light is--showing us the way to safety! When life forces you into a cave and you don't know how to get out, look for God's light and follow it out. Meanwhile, He's in the cave with you and won't leave you alone.

Besides caves, we go through tight spots. Sometimes we have no choice, but other times God gives us options. We can follow Him through a more challenging passage, or we can take the easy way out. Which option do you suppose gives a greater feeling of adventure and accomplishment? 

Steve chose to take the narrow path under this huge rock.
I could've climbed over a smaller rock to get to the other side,
but I chose the fun of following in the adventurous route.

But again, it's often impossible to pass through a tight spot with burdens on our back. I had to take off my backpack and hand it over to my guide before I could follow through a narrow passage.

What burdens do you feel weighing you down right now, making you "stuck" in a tight spot? Why not hand them over to the Lord?

ONE of the gorgeous waterfalls we saw.

Then you can say of God like David the Psalmist, "He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me" (2 Samuel 22:20 and Psalm 18:19).

And if you choose to follow God along life's journey, He will not fail to show you His awesome wonders!

Were I an excellent photographer with a stellar camera, I still could in no way capture all the beautiful sights we saw along the trail. In fact, I don't remember one stretch of it that seemed ugly. Every glance around revealed beauty beyond description! Likewise, following God cannot fail to take our breath away with the glory He reveals.

Three things make Friday's hike a grand adventure:

1. I followed a friend who'd hiked the trail before. He led the way, took the spiderwebs to the face, warned of loose rocks and holes and slippery sections, coached me in the danger zones. God does not lead us in paths He does not know.


2. I knew I was safe. Had I been hiking alone, I would not have been safe. Besides the dangers of the trail itself, we saw a man I would not have wished to meet alone, heard a pack of coyotes that followed us for a bit and (upon completing the hike) met an officer who told us he'd spent the day looking for a bear that had apparently been spotted in the area.

Thankfully, my friend has spent a lot of time in the wilderness and came literally loaded for bear and any other threat we might encounter. I knew he would protect me, and he made sure he could respond at a moment's notice when danger lurked near. Likewise,  God never fails to be prepared for whatever danger we face. We will face danger, but we will never face it alone. We'll get hurt sometimes, but He's prepared to bind us up and move us to safety. We'll even get some "battle scars," not because God is not taking care of us but because the rocks of life can be rough and sharp.


3. I relaxed and enjoyed the journey, because I knew I was safe with a friend who's even more adventurous than me!

We talked as we walked, and I learned a lot of interesting things as I listened. What if I did more listening as I follow God? What might I discover?

Yes, following God is a lot like a hike. He's invited us on a Grand Adventure, and He has no plans to send us on it alone. He goes before us, guides us through every tough spot and makes the entire journey one of tremendous joy!