I
just returned from a three day, men’s backpacking trip on the Superior Hiking
Trail in northern Minnesota. It was a challenging, exhilarating, and rewarding
experience. We set out on the trail at about 1:00 PM on Friday afternoon, under
clear blue skies and mild temperatures. It was a perfect day for backpacking.
We faced our most challenging climbs that afternoon, as we made our way from
the Temperance River to the top of the ridgeline. We were all ready to drop our
packs when we arrived at our campsite on the Cross River, just above some
shallow falls. The setting was beautiful, making for a wonderful first evening
in the wilderness. Then things changed.
Sometime
in the night, it began to rain. It was light at first, then became steady and
heavy. At 6:00 AM we awoke to a very different world than we had begun in.
Because of the persistent rain, we packed up as quickly as we could and hit the
trail. We didn’t even try to make breakfast. For the next five hours we slogged
through the wet trails. The pants I had chosen to wear acted like a wick,
soaking up the rain instead of shedding it. By the time the rain stopped, and
we took a break at another campsite, I was soaking wet from head to toe. I
changed into my dry clothes, ate some much needed food, and felt much better.
The
sun came out in the afternoon, which raised all of our spirits. Because of our
early start, we covered more distance than we had planned, so we pressed on to
a secondary campsite before stopping for the night. It was perfect! High on the
ridge, open enough for the sun to warm and dry us, with a gentle breeze coming
off of Lake Superior. The view was majestic. We had a delightful evening, even
though we could not keep a campfire going, because of the wet wood. It turned
cold that night, but we slept dry and relatively warm in our tents. The next
morning was a short hike to the trailhead where we are to meet our ride home.
We were not disappointed when we came to the end of the trail.
As
we were waiting for our ride to come, I thought of how our experience was a
microcosm of life. Everyone begins life with optimism and positive
expectations. We face some early challenges, but easily conquer them with the
fresh vigor of youth. Then life throws us a curve. Something happens that is
not easily overcome. It seems to last for a long time, and we begin to wonder
if we are going to make it. Then the situation changes again, and we are back
on a positive track. We follow this pattern throughout our life, with varying
degrees of challenge, excitement, discouragement and delight.
A
passage of scripture came to my mind as we were waiting for our ride. In
the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the
dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach
the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and
encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come
when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own
desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what
their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth
and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure
hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your
ministry. 2 Timothy 4:1-5
There are three parallels in this
passage to my backpacking experience. First, Paul tells Timothy to be prepared
in season and out of season. Before we went on our trip, I gathered the men
together and gave them some instructions about preparing for the trip. I told
them that we had to be prepared for variable trail conditions. I could not guarantee
a sunny, three-day hike. We had to take with us everything that we would need
on the trail, while being careful not to weigh ourselves down with unnecessary
items. One of our members chose to leave behind extra clothes in favor of a
lighter pack. After the rain stopped, he wished he had put them in his pack,
weight or no weight.
In
life, we need to be spiritually prepared for whatever might come. We cannot always
predict the conditions that we will find ourselves facing. Therefore, it is
important to equip ourselves with the right spiritual gear to face the
challenges. At the same time, we have to resist the temptation to load
ourselves down with unnecessary things that really only hinder our ability to
effectively live out our faith. In Hebrews 12:1, we are instructed to throw off
everything that hinders us. Just like in backpacking, there are essential
things to carry and there are non-essential. We need to learn the difference.
We can only carry a certain amount of things in our spiritual backpack.
Choosing wisely which things to carry is an important part of being prepared.
The
second parallel is that we will face challenges along the way. Before we
settled on the stretch of trail we would hike on, I studied the trail maps. I
paid close attention to the terrain. The Superior Hiking Trail follows the
ridgeline of the Sawtooth Mountains. By their name, you can guess their shape.
The trail undulates up and down throughout its length. No matter where you
start, you will encounter some challenging climbs. I warned the guys in advance
that they would have to be ready for some strenuous uphill battles. I wasn’t
wrong.
Sometimes
in life, we come to believe that, if we put our faith in Christ, the path ahead
of us will always be smooth, level and barrier free. Not so. Instead, as Paul
reminded Timothy, we should expect to face many challenges along the way. Satan
doesn’t want us to have an easy go of it. He will do his best to discourage us,
disillusion us, and defeat us. Knowing that the challenges are coming helps us
to be prepared to meet them. One of the things we brought on our trip was
walking sticks. They were valuable tools for helping us to maneuver up and down
some steep spots on the trail. Jesus has given us resources to lean on during
the tough uphill climbs of life. Most important is himself. Jesus warned us
that the path before us would be rocky, but that we could lean on Him. "I
have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you
will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John
16:33
The
last parallel is that, when you are on the trail, you have to keep pressing
forward. When we awoke to rain on Saturday morning, we could have hunkered down
in our tents and tried to wait out the rain, in wet misery. That strategy would
have gotten us no closer to our goal. Instead, the best thing we could do was
to press on through the rain. We got wet, but when the day ended we had arrived
at a sun-drenched campsite, with an amazing view and a chance to really dry
out.
One
of the things that Satan wants to do to us as Christians is to immobilize us.
If he can get us to stop moving forward, he can stop us from being effective.
When we stop making progress, especially in the face of spiritual challenges,
discouragement, bitterness and complaining set in. These things sap our energy
and make us unproductive. Christ wants us to press on, even in the spiritual
rain. As we keeping pushing forward, we become stronger, more confident and
more effective for Christ. As James tells us, it through the trials of life that
our faith is refined. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever
you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith
develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be
mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4
I
will be honest. Saturday morning, as the rain soaked into my shorts, I wasn’t
sure that I would ever go on another backpacking trip. But, as we rested at the
end of the trail, in the bright sun, I knew that there would be another one.
There
are days when we feel like we cannot go on in this journey of faith. But, as the
Son shines his warmth and light into our hearts, we know that we will keep
going until we reach the goal and win the prize for which Christ has called us.
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