Taking a Hike

Working in a national park for two summers afforded me many opportunities to go on hikes. Some were short, well marked paths that were travelled by many tourists.  These trails could be taken with ease and little more effort than a brisk walk. Also there were backpacking excursions deep into the mountains that required several days on paths that were barely blazed or visible. Some hikes were on fairly flat terrain and others went nearly straight up the side of a mountain.  All levels of climbing ability and desire for challenge can be accommodated.  And each trail had its own breathtaking views.

Some of the well-defined mountain trails contained many switchbacks. Webster’s dictionary defines a switchback as “a road, trail, or section of railroad tracks that has many sharp turns for climbing a steep hill.” The term zigzag is also applied to this. Hiking using switchbacks involves walking diagonally and somewhat sideways.  Depending on the severity of the mountain’s slope, the switchbacks may appear to simply go back and forth with very little upward progress. It is easy to become impatient while following these paths. Something inside yearns to simply scale the mountainside using hands and feet in the manner of a rock climber. This back-and-forth motion just seems to be too slow.

There are great benefits to this style of climb. The gentle slope allows your walk be more like a stroll than a serious climb. It allows for conversation with companions. It also provides many beautiful perspectives of the view from every elevation. It is the ideal to enjoy the surroundings as you climb.

Often we walk through life feeling as though we are endlessly going back and forth without making much progress. We move through our daily lives without witnessing significant change. We can look to the top of the spiritual hill that we are attempting to climb and it still seems to remain so far from reach. We have trusted and believed God for growth in our lives. But we look ahead and see what we still lack from becoming the person we believe we are called to be.

I found the best way to judge progress on a hike like this is not to look just toward the goal. The progress can best be judged by looking at how far you have come from the starting point. Although the summit may appear to still be far beyond our reach, we can look back to see that the origin of the hike is no longer even within sight.  This realization, paired with a consideration of the current view of nature’s beauty, can quickly put things in proper perspective. Even from points along the climb, the vistas within our sight extend miles farther than they previously had.  The beauty can be amazing.

Wherever we are on our walk with God, we must not become so focused on the trail and the summit that we miss the scenery around us.  It is very good to have the attitude of the apostle Paul. “I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward.” (Philippians 3:14 AMP)  But we must not become so focused on that future destination that we miss what is in store for us all along the way.  “How God anointed and consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with the [Holy] Spirit and with strength and ability and power; how He went about doing good and, in particular, curing all who were harassed and oppressed by [the power of] the devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38)  Jesus had His eyes set on the cross and the salvation that it would bring, but He never missed the opportunity to meet individual needs along the way.

God has designed a perfect trail for us as we follow Him daily.  The path may not go the direction or the pace that we would prefer.  We may not always see our progress as we desire it to be.  But we can trust that as we follow God’s direction, we will move toward His plan.  We can enjoy each step on this journey.

Look forward to the goal.  Look back to see the progress.  Look around to see and enjoy all the beauty of where you are right now.