This past week I ventured out into the wilderness of New Hampshire to spend some time connecting with men and God on what is called the “Man Hike”. The Man Hike is a time to escape the pressures and influence of society by immersion in nature, a time to test one’s strength by grueling summits and unpredictable weather, and at time to look inward and upward with a fellowship of men hungry for more out of life.
The weather was pretty far from ideal this weekend. We encountered snow about half way up to our base camp and fought to stay warm there in spite of our lack of fire (it was illegal to make a fire there), damp clothes, and insufficient gear. Attitudes teetered as energy was put mostly into survivor mode. The next day after climbing above tree-line and breaking through the clouds to get a glimpse of the beautiful scenery we decided it best to relocate at a lower elevation to stay warm and keep spirits high.
We enjoyed a beautiful evening of conversation around a now much appreciated campfire. However, as soon as I laid my head down to sleep it began to rain and when I woke it was still raining. The day before I struggled to get out of my warm cozy sleeping bag and now it was a stretch to leave the confines of my dry and comfortable tent. We all gathered around the fire in our simi rain gear and after realizing the weather wasn’t going to break decided to start praising and worshiping God. Our worship session rolled into a time of prayer and ministry for each other. Tears were shed, life was spoken, and hearts were touched in the mist of a continuous down pour.
What does it mean to pursue God in the mist of chaos, unpredictability and adversity? This weekend I learned that it is a choice. It is a choice to run to God instead of waiting around for life’s troubles to clear up and fix themselves. It is a choice to face the cold of a relationship or stand in the rain of life’s burdens and say, “Lord, here I am”.
The Man Hike didn’t go exactly as planned, but isn’t that life anyways? I believe the Hike was a success. We were pushed to step up and be men by facing difficult circumstances and discovered God with each other while overcoming adversity. And unlike the warning sign in the picture above we didn’t turn back.
