It’s been a week since I spent a week in the woods. It was a time of facing fears, of surrendering to God, and of forgiveness.
I’m not big, okay, let’s be real, I’m tiny. I have been since I can remember. So when it came to hiking with everything I would need on my back for over twelve miles, in the mountains of Georgia and South Carolina, I knew that I couldn’t do it.
There are things I know I can do, and things I know that I am incapable of doing. But, all things are possible through Christ who strengthens me. I hiked all twelve miles with my pack, without a shower, drinking bleach water, and using a hole for a toilet.
My team consisted of new people to CGA, two leaders, and myself. On our way to the trailhead on the first day we were asked a daunting question by a local woman, “Did y’all bring your snake bit kit?” We all shook our heads in response. “Well, didn’t they tell you? The snakes are real bad this year.” Thus beginning my prayer time for the trip.
“Dear Jesus, please no snakes, no spiders, no ticks, no fleas, no bears, no poisonous plants, go before us on the trail and bring us peace.” Well, we did encounter spiders, thankfully none of them were venomous, at least that we’re aware of… We didn’t see any snakes, and by the grace of God were spared from poison oak and poison ivy. “No that’s just Virginia Creeper.” Yup, we had an eagle scout on our team.
What we did see a lot of was, God’s majesty in the landscapes around us, His perseverance when we choose to surrender to Him, His joy, when we made “Macaroni and Cheese!” our rally cry on the day of our long hike, and finally His love, over the course of those five days our group bonded a lot on the trail and around the fire.
God carried my pack and gave me the flexibility to go over and under felled trees on the trail. God gave me courage to get up in the middle of the night to walk to the latrine. God gave me the strength to look back into my past and give forgiveness where it had been lacking. None of these things come from my own abilities or skills. It was His love, His strength, His endurance and His joy that got me through.
A time away in the woods should be prescribed. No screens, no plumbing, just you, your group and what you can carry. It was marvelous, hard, but marvelous. There was a lot of laughter and it was a time where God moved in all of us, drawing us closer to Him, showing us more of who He is, teaching us more about what He’s capable of doing. This is me, prescribing to you a time in the woods, a time away from screens and planners, a time depending on God.
Thanks for reading, and oh yes, we did see a bear! A small black bear shuffled across the winding mountain road in front of our joyous van as we made our way back.
X
