Last
month we spent some days in cool Montana for a speaking engagement at Real Life
Christian Church near Bozeman and to attend the wedding of our dear friends
Kirsten and David Nickisch, our Seek The Lamb teammates. It was rainy and cold
many days. But then the sun came out and it was glorious!
On Sunday
afternoon, Laura and I went for a drive up the Gallatin River canyon. There is a peak which protrudes above the
river that I have observed many times driving along the river. We saw the sign to this peak, “Storm Castle”
and turned onto a bumpy dirt road. After a few miles, we came to the trailhead
for Storm Castle, and parked the car.
Yes, the peak was there, far above us.
I wanted to take some photos, so we opened the doors and climbed out. It
was a gorgeous day! After a few photos, we saw a couple with their dogs walking
down the trail. “Was it a nice hike?” I asked.
With nods and smiles, they both said “”Yes!”
“How long does it take to get to the top?” I
asked. “Oh,
about an hour,” they
said. Their dogs looked tired.
I looked at Laura. I was suffering from a very sore Achilles
tendon that was a side-effect of an antibiotic I am taking for an inflamed
prostate. I suggested to my mate: “Let’s
just walk up the trail a ways and get a few photos.” She
nodded, and off we went; Slowly and Gingerly on the right foot. With Snow
capped mountains in view, blue skies above us, and cool temperature, how could
we resist?
After 15 minutes, we came
to a “viewing stop” above the Gallatin River.
Nice! A few more photos. The tendon is tender, but holding on. We
decide to proceed for a few more minutes.
Soon we are walking across a meadow, with more mountains to the
east. Bright flowers dotted the trail.
We kept walking. Then we entered a
forest as we snaked up the mountainside. It was then that we heard a very
strange calling sound originating from a dark shape on the rocks above us. “It’s a
bear!” Laura
shouted. Whoa! I suddenly realized that we were in the Rocky Mountains in
Montana, which is the native habitat of the grizzly bear, the largest land-based
mammal. We didn’t have a pistol or “bear spray”. Grizzlies are dangerous. We stopped. We watched the dark shape hop
over the rock and onto the path in front of us. He entered a sunlit place, and
we saw the spread of black tail feathers that identified this animal as a
rather large wild turkey. He ran up the
trail and disappeared into a thicket. We looked at each other and with a laugh,
continued bravely ahead…
Soon, we came out of the
forest, and could see Storm Castle peaking out above the rocks in front of
us. We had walked almost an hour, and it
was much closer. The tendon was sore but still good, and we pressed on with
more enthusiasm, now committed to going all the way to the top. We entered a steep slope strewn with rocks
that made my careful walking even more careful. The views were getting even
more spectacular. The trail was now zig-zaging up the mountain, very steep now.
But it seemed that we were even more energized by the challenge. Finally we
zigged the last zag, and entered a flat wooded area covered by delicate yellow
alpine flora. Just a few more yards now and we would be at the rock outcropping
at the top.
“Be
Careful!” Laura
shouted as we ascended the rocks, and I climbed close to the edge of the
vertical dropoff. “Don’t drop the baby!” I teased, reminding her of former
times when she had spoken the obvious. We both stopped and took in the panorama
of snow capped mountains, blue sky, white clouds, and a tiny river in the
canyon below. We were speechless. Now it was time to sit and contemplate, and
sip on the water I carried in my pack.
God’s Creation is very thought provoking, especially when viewed from
the top (7200’).
It took us 1+45 to get to
the top. It was about 3 to 4 miles. As
we sat there, we both realized that we:
1) had not
planned to come on this hike;
2) almost
did not get out of the car;
3) just
intended to walk a few minutes for photos;
4) were very
glad that we made it to the top.
5)
accomplished something extraordinary because we got inspired and pressed on.
After a half hour of
photos and pondering, we packed up and began the descent. As we walked down, we asked each other: “What if we had stayed in the car?” We
would have missed some excellent cardio exercise, incredible scenery, moments
with each other and our Creator alone in His Creation, delicate flowers along
the trail, and a sense of being just where we needed to be!
Then we compared our decision to get out of
the car to many of our decisions these past decades to “get out of our comfortable car and venture
out into God’s adventure.” Like Laura
agreeing to marry me in 1988, and moving to a refugee village where there was
no electricity, no running water, and only a few others who spoke English. And
she had to fly in a flimsy airplane which was tossed around by the wind,
inducing reverse peristalsis (that’s a nice phrase for “projectile puking”) on
literally every flight. Laura has always been willing to get out of the car,
even if it is going to cost her something, like comfort, or identity, or a personal
agenda. She is totally given over to the
adventure that awaits us as we step outside that vehicle wherein everything is
as we like it.
How about even that first decision I made in
1984 to help with the Miskito Indian relief project and then to decide to
travel to Honduras to help distribute the supplies? I could have stayed in Maui
and prayed for the Miskito refugees. Yet
I felt God calling me to step out for more of an experience with Him. Those
first decisions to “Get Out of the
Car” set a trend that has taken us to
many places, where God has used us in so many ways that we could not even have
imagined.
While on the descent from
Storm Castle, we discussed the reasons why we often don’t step out into God’s
Adventure.
·
Fear of
the Grizzlies or
other very real issues: That’s were faith comes in. If God is calling you, He
will take care of the safety issues, and provide all your needs.
·
Soreness
of my body or
other reasons to feel incapable: I have realized again and again that God’s
strength is sufficient for us to go the distance with Him. The more we walked
up to the peak, the more energized we felt!
·
Accepting
Mediocrity: I am
naturally inclined to sit in a comfortable cool place and vegetate. Having
realized that, I have learned to ignore that very real feeling when I sense God
inviting me to go with Him to the High Places of this life. He has not designed me to accept less than
the best.
I have to cultivate a willingness to
“step out of the car”. It often doesn’t
come naturally. This is a discipline
that does lead to great rewards in this life, as well as the life to come.
Step out of
your car today! Watch what God does! MB
be happy together is good enough. I am not asking for things that I could never get.^
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