Memorial Day weekend, Cristie Reiter (from the June team) and I went for a hiking/camping trip at a nearby state park to test out our gear and get used to carrying 40 pounds on our backs. Initially, we were not going to camp, but we got to the park with not much time left before they lock the gate, so we decided to fly by the seat of our pants and share her tiny tent and sleeping bag for the night so that we could have more time to enjoy the hike and the views from the top.
We chose the more difficult of the two pinnacles and began our trek. A few hours, some bonding time, and a steep 334-step climb later, and we had reached the top of Crowders Mountain. We spent a little while taking pictures, admiring God’s creation, and talking with a US Marine who was also enjoying the views. Finally realizing that it would start getting dark soon, Cristie and I decided to head back to the campsite.
However, in our rush, we somehow missed the trail. Instead, we ended up walking down the steep side of the pinnacle (ie toward the base of the rock climbing area), away from our destination. And trust me, when you have 40 pounds of gear on your back, you’d probably be more excited about eating a cow’s heart than finding your way back UP a rock face.
Okay, clearly we didn’t climb up the rock face. But we did manage to climb up crevices between the rocks while handing off our packs to one another, and eventually found our way back to the top of the pinnacle. Now all we had to do was find the CORRECT path and trek the 2 miles back to the ranger station. Which we did in the dark and finally got back around 10pm. So the camping…didn’t happen. It was another 1+ mile strenuous hike to the campsite, so we slept in the jeep instead…but you know what we learned from our adventure? Flexibility and communication are key. Hey, WE’RE WORLD RACERS!!
So my thoughts as we stumbled through thorns and down steep drops while searching for our trail, is “What are the things that influence the paths I choose?” Even when I have a map in front of me, often I still manage to go the wrong way. God has given me a choice of which path I want to take: to live in NY or NC; to go on the WR in June or September; to be encouraging or to be quarrelsome; to believe or to be skeptical; to trust or to try to find the answers on my own.
God has even given me a map in His Word! But can I even trust this map? I mean, aren’t there inaccuracies and scribal errors that differ from the original texts? Well, yes. But a friend once told me “You can read a hundred books that tell you the Bible is completely true, and a hundred other books that tell you the Bible is completely false. You have to choose for yourself what you are going to believe.”
The Lord gives me the free will to choose my path. I want that path to be the path that God wants for my life, the path that will lead to life in the fullest for myself and for others. The path that will bring glory to Him. But my question remains: how do I know which path to choose? Just like the slogan says: “It’s all inside”! The Holy Spirit within me, the sometimes loud, but often still and quiet, voice of the Lord, that says…
“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
-Isaiah 30:21
Doctor, look! He’s so happy he’s
crying! Do you really think you can
have him walking again?
Walking? I’ll have him running,
jumping, shouting, shrieking. Or my
name isn’t…
Dr….
Emil…
Shuffhausen…
The third!
