Hike Like A Three Year Old -- Inktober 8 #hike

God invented hiking so that we would not miss the wonders of His creation, a truth I have learned about hiking from our grandchildren.  They do not allow the end point, or pace, or mileage distract them from what is out there.  Every step -- even at a painfully slow pace -- is an adventure and sacred time of discovery.

Hike like a three year old.  Wow!  Look at that!  

How in the world did Drew see the tiny bug, or Rose spot a bear cub way up in that tree that I blindly passed, or Lu observe that interesting crawdad in the creek?  Because they are looking expectantly.  In an impenetrable forest or seemingly endless desert, God reveals Himself in a milliondy ways.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A worldview is not just a philosophical stance, but how we see the world.  God makes Himself known in the grandeur of the mountains, but also in that tiny millipede in the city park. And a child's delight in Look at this, Mom!

A trail always leads somewhere, even if it is right back where we started.  But we cannot help but be changed by the experience, what we see, what we do, how we respond. 

The point is not just where we are heading, but how we get there?  What is embedded along the way that makes the best discoveries and even better stories?  On the side of the trail. Or right beneath our feet.  Sometimes the end point becomes only an afterthought.  Looking back on it as adults, the children may remember a praying mantis and totally forget that thunderous waterfall.

Are we so focused on the destination that we miss where we are in this moment, the wonders beneath our feet, or the view from the ridge that we have no words to describe?

Just a few weeks ago, 31 year old Tara Dower broke both the men's and women's record for hiking the 2189 miles of the Appalachian Trail.  She completed the hike in an incredible 40 days, 18 hours, and five minutes, raising the bar and establishing a new Fastest Known Time, averaging a blistering 54 miles a day on this rugged terrain.   Most hikers take at least five to seven month to tackle that daunting trail that stretches from southern Georgia to northern Maine, not for the faint of heart.

She achieved her respectable goal.  But what did she miss along the way?

And do we hike through our days like that and totally miss the point?  It's not a competition but a walk with God, step by step through His faithfulness, seeing God differently, ourselves, others and our circumstances.  And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1. 17

May we say out loud, I never saw that before, even right in our own backyard. No day nor trail is just an ordinary one, nothing inconsequential in His creation.

Be like the fox who makes more tracks than necessary, some in the wrong direction. Practice resurrection.  (last few sentences from Wendell Berry's poem, Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front)

Go differently into this day.

Hike like a three year old.