Hiking trail of life

I always seem to forget how much I love hiking! Not only is there the physical enjoyment of being out surrounded by nature and walking through it and participating in it, but every time I go hiking, there is a spiritual hike that accompanies it. In so many ways, hiking is the perfect allegory for life.

I notice that the manner in which I hike tends to be the manner in which I approach life. When I hike, I almost always take a map with me ... I also almost never actually stop to look at the map until I've gotten completely and utterly lost. I tend to push forward even when I don't know where I'm going, refusing to admit that I don't know where I am or that I can't get myself out of whatever predicament I've gotten myself into. I'm a little stubborn like that.

And, what gets me into those situations in the first place? Can I EVER stay on the broad path that is clearly marked out in front of me? Of course not! What's the fun in staying on the beaten track, especially when there are so many fun little meandering trails that head off in who knows what direction? So, I get distracted. Where I'm going never seems as interesting as the many other possibilities that branch out in other directions. There are times where this pays off, where I get to see something I otherwise might not have been able to see, come across a beautiful spot, get a glimpse of one of God's amazing creatures, but more than likely, I end up in a runnoff ditch, or an animal trail - something that was not meant for me to follow. Honestly, I can't think of a single time that I haven't gotten myself so far off course that I had to hack my way back to the original trail through tangles of branches and thorns. I finally stumble back to the path, scratched up, bleeding, exhausted and bug bitten.

Today, I went alone. You hike differently when you're alone than when you have a hiking buddy. I am much less likely to take stupid risks like climbing ridiculously high trees or getting off the path completely when I don't have anyone there to let me know when I've gone too far, or to help me out when I've gotten completely in over my head.

Today was just me and God, teaching me lessons about right and wrong ways to hike. The path has been laid out where it is for a reason. Someone has gone before me, taking the time and effort to create the path so that I don't have to get completely lost in the woods. There is a final destination, the path may not lead me straight there, but it will lead me on an adventure full of beautiful bends in the road and the inevitable crazy, rocky patches, and eventually get me where I'm going ... after I have enjoyed the journey.