During some time of reflection on Sunday afternoon, I started thinking about the three points from the class (I hope I remember them correctly.):
1. A Battle to Fight 2. An Adventure to Live 3. A Beauty to Win
I started thinking that at least the first two could be achieved without necessarily heading out west to conquer the frontier. Isn’t every day a battle to fight internally against the world, the flesh and the devil? Isn’t our sanctification a continuing adventure, day by day? Now, I am not saying that we should eschew the wilderness, but that we might be able “find our male heart” through spiritual pursuits as well as physical ones.
For me the wilderness has never been “the” adventure but a part of the adventure of pursing God. He has used it repeatedly in my life but He could use other things and times. Not everyone has my problem of walking around smelling a western forest in my mind and wanting to be a few miles into it. God has made us each unique and deals with us as individuals.
I was thinking about a time in which God’s primary goal seemed to be to teach me humility in wilderness. I had a really rigorous wilderness hike planned. I didn’t have detailed maps but I had some fair topographic maps of a place in Colorado that I wanted to hike. It was along the Encampment River. I was in CO for some meetings and afterwards I went for three nights in the wilderness by myself.
I drove all the way from Denver without stopping and the last 25 miles was dirt (in a poor little rental car). I really needed to relieve myself. I think my eyes had turned yellow by then. When I pulled in there was a truck with a horse trailer at the trailhead. I really couldn’t hold it much longer and this was open meadow without much cover. The horses were all gone so I hopped out and found blessed relief watering some bushes. Then I started gathering my gear from the trunk and getting ready to hike. I thought I heard a noise in the truck. I looked inside the truck and there was a woman in the truck waiting for the guys with the horses to come back. That was the first humiliation. I never looked at her and she never said anything to me. However, when the horses got back I heard one of the cowboys remark that “Well … when you gotta go you gotta go!”
Then I left and started hiking. I never get lost and especially when I’m out west I never get lost because it is just too easy to navigate with the landscape. I knew I had to cross some rivers and I was ready with good gear. I was doing pretty well when I hiked up to a river and it was flowing the wrong way. It made me sick to my stomach. That had never happened to me. I remembered Psalm 139. It is a favorite of mine and it made me feel better that He knew when I got up and when I sat down and that He was surrounding me right then. But I never get lost and I was so messed up a river was flowing the wrong way. I had a little talk with myself and with God. I back tracked I found my error and I got back on track. That was the second humiliation.
You know I love my hiking boots. The more beat up they are the better they are. They get to the point they just fit right. Well I had a pretty expensive pair of boots. I’d tell you which brand but I think God had a hand in their destruction so it wouldn’t be fair to blame the company. I was hiking along and the bottoms came off my boots. Not both at the same time and not all the way but they were no longer wearable. I was in a wilderness area by myself and my boots fell apart. That was the third humiliation and I finally stopped.
I pitched my tent right there and stayed there. I spent my days praying and enjoying God rather than trying to complete the hike I had planned. I had to hike back 5 or 6 miles to the car in my Teva sandals wearing neoprene socks. They are great for crossing rivers but not so good for hiking.
God took away most of the physical aspects I had planned and replaced them with spiritual pursuits. He insisted and after three taps on the shoulder I listened.
It was one of the best wilderness experiences I've ever had.
2 comments:
During some time of reflection on Sunday afternoon, I started thinking about the three points from the class (I hope I remember them correctly.):
1. A Battle to Fight
2. An Adventure to Live
3. A Beauty to Win
I started thinking that at least the first two could be achieved without necessarily heading out west to conquer the frontier. Isn’t every day a battle to fight internally against the world, the flesh and the devil? Isn’t our sanctification a continuing adventure, day by day? Now, I am not saying that we should eschew the wilderness, but that we might be able “find our male heart” through spiritual pursuits as well as physical ones.
For me the wilderness has never been “the” adventure but a part of the adventure of pursing God. He has used it repeatedly in my life but He could use other things and times. Not everyone has my problem of walking around smelling a western forest in my mind and wanting to be a few miles into it. God has made us each unique and deals with us as individuals.
I was thinking about a time in which God’s primary goal seemed to be to teach me humility in wilderness. I had a really rigorous wilderness hike planned. I didn’t have detailed maps but I had some fair topographic maps of a place in Colorado that I wanted to hike. It was along the Encampment River. I was in CO for some meetings and afterwards I went for three nights in the wilderness by myself.
I drove all the way from Denver without stopping and the last 25 miles was dirt (in a poor little rental car). I really needed to relieve myself. I think my eyes had turned yellow by then. When I pulled in there was a truck with a horse trailer at the trailhead. I really couldn’t hold it much longer and this was open meadow without much cover. The horses were all gone so I hopped out and found blessed relief watering some bushes. Then I started gathering my gear from the trunk and getting ready to hike. I thought I heard a noise in the truck. I looked inside the truck and there was a woman in the truck waiting for the guys with the horses to come back. That was the first humiliation. I never looked at her and she never said anything to me. However, when the horses got back I heard one of the cowboys remark that “Well … when you gotta go you gotta go!”
Then I left and started hiking. I never get lost and especially when I’m out west I never get lost because it is just too easy to navigate with the landscape. I knew I had to cross some rivers and I was ready with good gear. I was doing pretty well when I hiked up to a river and it was flowing the wrong way. It made me sick to my stomach. That had never happened to me. I remembered Psalm 139. It is a favorite of mine and it made me feel better that He knew when I got up and when I sat down and that He was surrounding me right then. But I never get lost and I was so messed up a river was flowing the wrong way. I had a little talk with myself and with God. I back tracked I found my error and I got back on track. That was the second humiliation.
You know I love my hiking boots. The more beat up they are the better they are. They get to the point they just fit right. Well I had a pretty expensive pair of boots. I’d tell you which brand but I think God had a hand in their destruction so it wouldn’t be fair to blame the company. I was hiking along and the bottoms came off my boots. Not both at the same time and not all the way but they were no longer wearable. I was in a wilderness area by myself and my boots fell apart. That was the third humiliation and I finally stopped.
I pitched my tent right there and stayed there. I spent my days praying and enjoying God rather than trying to complete the hike I had planned. I had to hike back 5 or 6 miles to the car in my Teva sandals wearing neoprene socks. They are great for crossing rivers but not so good for hiking.
God took away most of the physical aspects I had planned and replaced them with spiritual pursuits. He insisted and after three taps on the shoulder I listened.
It was one of the best wilderness experiences I've ever had.
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