Dedicated to Perry Ford, my favorite hiking buddy.
When I started on this journey, I didn’t know the winding paths that it would lead me on. I didn’t know the dangerous obstacles I would face and the wild beasts I would have to learn to defeat along the way. There were times that I couldn’t see anything around me other than looming mountain cliffs, and long periods of feeling exposed as I walked in the openness and vulnerability of a valley. I spent days at a time stuck in crevices, frustrated that I had chosen that path as I tried to work my way out of the binds I had put myself in. Sometimes the weather was sweltering hot, and sometimes it was freezing cold. Storms have taken me off guard, and others I had an early detection warning system and could seek safety.
I celebrated victories as I climbed to peaks and soaked in the wonderful views of all that I could see around me, and I have rested under shade trees when I’d grow weary. When I’ve done things the right way, I wouldn’t stray very far from the stream that flows next to the path, but because of my independent streak and wanting to do it my way, there were times that I would end up far away, lost and parched, knowing that my only way to survive was to find my way back to the only fresh water that could restore me.
I have been joined by hiking buddies at various points in my journey. Some would make me laugh, others would challenge me with intellectual conversation, and some just seemed to cling to me while I was too nice to tell them to stop weighing me down and make them carry their own weight. My hiking buddies were with me for only a season, and then we’d snap a photo, hug each other and go off on our own path.
There was one clinging buddy that turned out to be just a guy that I had taken a strong liking to that simply hung onto my rope in the end that I had refused to let go of for a long time. He would stumble and refuse to get up, yelling at me to pull him along as he rested. I believed him that it was my fault that I had led him into the obstacle in the first place, and felt bad, so I would just drag him along. No one had ever told me that I could simply remind him that it was his responsibility to watch where his feet walked in the first place, or that I had the right to just let go of the rope and let him find his own way, but I eventually learned those lessons too.
Now I have found myself on a frustratingly narrow edge of a mountain, and the path seems to be getting narrower. God led me this way, for sure, but I had been arguing with him loudly that this isn’t the path that I would have chosen. Just a bit ago, he showed me a little cave that I could tuck inside to get some rest and restore my energy for the long walk ahead, but except for Jesus, I have been alone in that cave. I hate being alone in the dark, even though he has given me a little flame that never goes out. If I’m being honest with myself, I often forget that it casts as much light as I allow it to because I am actually in control of the size of the flame. As soon as I remembered that, it didn’t seem so dark in there anymore.
I can sit and linger here as long as I want, because the only one pushing me to continue on the path is myself. I used to listen to everyone else shouting and cheering for me to keep going or to join them, and I allowed their voices to choose my path and pace for me, but I’ve finally learned that it’s better to just listen to God’s voice since he was the one who created me uniquely for the terrain I would be walking on in the first place.
I know that just ahead, after I make it through this scary narrow mountain path on the edge of a cliff, is a cozy cabin. God showed me the stone fireplace and the simple, but warm and comfortable decor as I laid sleeping in the cave, and I’m excited to go and spend some time there. But first, I have to vacate this little cave and press forward on my own. I’ve had a new hiking buddy lately that I’ve really gotten to enjoy walking with, but I left him a little ways back on the path under a tree while he wrestled with Jesus about his path on his own. I’m hoping that he’ll be heading this way on his way to this narrow path soon, and maybe he’ll need to rest in this cave for awhile too, but there’s only room for one here anyway. I hope that he believes me that there is a beautiful cabin we can spend time together in up ahead, or that God shows him in a dream as he sleeps like he did to me.
Back to the path I will go now that I have rested and gained strength in the cave. I’ve learned that there is no sense in arguing with God about what the path looks like, because he has ultimate authority to create my path and he’s always looking out for my best interests. It’s truly best that I just stay on his path rather than forge my own, and he amazingly supplies me with everything that I need as I go along my journey.
I can’t see my favorite hiking buddy as I glance back along the path, but I have faith and hope that if he’s supposed to meet me on the other side of this narrow path alongside the mountain, then God will make sure that he shows him the way. Even my hiking buddies that have only been with me a season will never be forgotten, but I sure hope that this guy follows me on this path and catches up with me eventually, because he brings me a spark of joy like no one else has.
This journey is the path of my life, and it hasn’t often looked like I imagined it would. I’ve certainly learned some important lessons and am still learning them every day, but I have gained wisdom as I have traveled that will never leave me. Hopefully you can learn from them too.
- Only carry the burden that has been assigned to you, don’t slow yourself down by trying to carry other people’s burdens. They eventually have to learn to carry their own stuff anyway, so do yourselves both a favor and set boundaries. Know what belongs to you and don’t pick up anything else.
- Don’t stray from the path, because God will give you all that you need if you keep following his voice and learn to walk where he tells you to walk, and to step where he tells you to step when things get scary.
- Most importantly, don’t walk too far from the water, or think that you can keep pushing forward without refilling your canteen every chance you get. Running out of water when you are too far away for someone else to find you can be a death sentence, and getting too thirsty leads to confusion and fatigue.
- Don’t get cocky. Just because you think you’re a mountain goat doesn’t mean that you should start showing off your climbing skills. You’re likely to twist an ankle, or worse, break a leg. Some have even fallen to their death doing that.
- Don’t drag others behind you. Trust me, I did that for decades, and it just slowed me down and frustrated me. If you made the mistake and started to drag them, know that it is painful to cut them loose so that they can learn that they must walk on their own. If they want to keep walking with you, then they will learn to walk on their own two feet. Only God knows how long you were meant to walk together, and maybe they were supposed to be on a different path in the first place, so don’t beat yourself up if you end up leaving them behind.
- Walking alone is scary, but Jesus will never leave you, so you are never truly alone if you can simply remember that.
- Use the light you were given to reveal your path as you go along. It’s easy to make it brighter once you know how, and then you’ll be able to see things illuminated with clarity… the obstacles, the traps, and the treasures along the way.
- You were given tools and weapons to use as you journey forward. The more often you pull them out, the better you will be at using them when you need them.
- Be kind to the other hikers and hiking groups. You never know when your paths will cross again, and they may know something that you don’t. Learn from them, but be careful not to follow them on the path they are being called to walk unless God says that is your path too.
- Take the time to help out every single person who is wounded or despairing along the way. This isn’t a race, and every time you walk away from a person that you took the time to care for, a small and weightless blessing is added to your bag. Some of these blessings are valuable treasures that you will only discover later, but there is always a blessing of some kind. It’s worth your time to care for others, God promises us that!
- Rest when you need to rest, sprint when you want to sprint, walk slowly and pick berries whenever you can, and most of all… take joy in your journey. Sing loudly, dance freely, and be filled with gratitude for both the easy and the difficult things you encounter. God will bless you along the way and he has great adventures planned for you if you just let him lead the way!