Finding your way!

My wife and I love hiking and backpacking. There is something about being in God's creation without the distractions of this world. On several occasions (more than I would like to admit) I have found myself in the backcountry, off the intended trail without a sense of the proper direction I should go (aka: LOST). I'd like to share one such experience with you.

A few months ago my wife and I were blessed with the opportunity to spend a couple of nights in the backcountry of the White Mountains Wilderness near Ruidoso New Mexico. It was amazing. We covered 25 miles in three days and didn't see a single person. These kinds of experiences rejuvenate my introverted personality.

The hike was going great, we were covering the amount of miles in the desired time. Then, all of a sudden the trail disappeared beneath our feet. Literally, one second it was there and the next it was gone. Thankfully there were cairns (piles of rocks people erect to help you locate the correct path) guiding the way. We began following these until they too ceased to exist. Despite all I learned in boy scouts and the obviously smart decision to go back to the trail we came in on, I decided to continue aimlessly into the woods.

Being the proud hiker that I am I refused to admit lostness. On a side note: one of the reasons I love being in the wilderness is because there is no one to ask directions, so I never have to humiliate myself (as if having to be evacuated with search and rescue would not be humiliating). By the way, if my mother reads this, we were never in real danger. We were however, in danger of adding many miles to make it back to our vehicle.

After hiking several hundred yards through the forest, we finally found a trail up ahead. We followed it for a ways. Submitting to my fairly keen sense of direction and my compass, I realized we were not going in the direction we ought to be. After turning around and following the trail the other direction we finally found a sign similar to the one above. We had made it to where we wanted to be! What a relief it was to know we were where we were heading.

Part of my problem on this particular trip was that I didn't want to admit I needed help. In fact, I refused to look at the map for a while because I enjoy finding my way on my own. I trust my own instincts and abilities to navigate, which usually do okay. So often this is how I treat my spiritual journey as well. I trust myself first and when I fail, as I usually do, I go to God. We must remember what Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."

God has given you the directions in your life. Are you following them or do you continue to lean on your own understanding? When we trust in ourselves, we will fail. When we trust in the Lord with all of our lives he will lead us on the right path. My prayer is that all who read this will always trust in the Lord and not lean on their own understanding.

blessings,
Jeremy

"Encourage one another and build up one another"