A Journey with Jesus

It is that time of year where rain is creeping in and fall is taking over. Any outdoor adventures are soon to be a thing of the past and not likely for another handful of months...so I had to sneak in another one today. I ventured out this afternoon for a local hike. Many people had been telling me about this one so I had to try it out. I think one of the reasons I like hiking so much is that it is a real life example of what it feels like to journey with Jesus.

This was a monumental hike for me...one where I experienced Jesus closer than ever before. My first hike by myself. Yes, I know that isn't the smartest idea on the planet, but I was told it was a safe one and I had food, shelter, pepper spray and a whistle should anything happen (Mom, you can lecture me later). I found this little cross etched into a tree about a mile in and I knew that it was going to be a good date with Jesus.

Today's hike by myself consisted of me and Jesus having conversations all day. Doing a hike alone made me think of what my life feels like as a single person - wishing I had someone next to me to journey through life with, to share experiences with and to laugh with. Every switchback I came to, I kept thinking this HAS to be the last one. I must be getting close. But, around every corner, there was another corner and another and another.

The further I climbed, the less city noise I heard and the clearer the sky was getting as I moved toward the top. Each new curve reminded me of the things of life that slow us down - those things that distract us from where God wants us to be. There were moments hiking up that I felt there was no way I could keep moving. My feet felt heavier and heavier with each passing step (it doesn't help that I did a 3 mile run last night so I started the day sore).

About halfway up I came across this beautiful bridge. Up until this point, it was a pretty steady climb up. Hitting this bridge was a reprieve....a little place to just stand and watch the creek below. See the water moving, see the birds flying from tree to tree. It was a little gift from God. I think in our daily lives, God gives us little gifts here and there but we are so often too busy to see those. Today, His gifts were much clearer.




 By the time I got to the top, I realized just why the rest of it was worth it. It was easy to forget what I was thinking, why I was climbing higher and higher. But once I hit the top, I took a deep breath in and was instantly reminded. As I journey through this life, though I dream of the day I get to journey with someone else, I realized today that God has me on the exact path He wants me to be on. I need to remind myself that every set-back, every unexpected turn and every "mountain" I am climbing, I am simply climbing to where God is calling me to go.


This year in BSF, we are studying the life of Moses. We are reading through the Exodus right now and I have been learning things I never realized. Reading things that I KNOW I have read many times, but never REALLY read. "God SAW the people of Israel - and GOD KNEW." Exodus 2:25 - God knew the Israelites were living in bondage, living as slaves to the Egyptians. Then a few verses later, "The Lord said, "I have surely SEEN the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have HEARD their cry because of their taskmasters. I KNOW their sufferings and I have COME down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians...." Exodus 3:7-8 Today, I remembered that God hears my cries, he knows my deepest prayers and HIS plan will only be revealed in His time. God is a God of detail and intentionality and I know He is working out all of the details of my life for His glory and my good. What a mighty God we serve.