Spiritual Camping

I can only assume that it was my overwhelming confidence in my son-in-law's outdoor prowess that led me to forgo the usually instinctual mental landmark mapping on a recent camping trip. But whatever it was, in a moment around the campfire later, it left me with an opportunity to feel somewhat vulnerable and open to a spiritual acknowledgment ...

I had the awesome pleasure to accompany the family of one of my daughters along with one of my younger sons on a short camping trip deep into the woods where there were no trails and not another human being for miles (the nearest form of civilization being many miles further beyond that). The deep woods around the area where I live in the great northwestern part of the United States is rugged, brushy and unforgiving. It's a place where the simplest of mistakes can produce tragic results and it's vastness alone can leave one with little hope in the event of an emergency.

But my son-in-law is without a doubt one of the most savvy beings alive when it comes to navigating the deep forest of our area with well founded confidence and expertise and I think having experienced this with him before gave me a confidence that allowed me to forgo my usual precautionary instinct. I'll be the first to acknowledge that this could have been a problem in certain unthinkable scenarios, but by our Lord's grace, none of those were allowed to materialize.

What did materialize though, were a few moments of thoughtful recognition. They were moments of honest acknowledgment regarding my far greater dependence on my Lord and guide through the deep woods of this current life. Many times our Lord speaks to my heart through experiences in this life that have a mirrored spiritual implication and truth and for me and this was one of those times. While the others with me may or may not have had the same moments of reflection, the renewed truthful revelations of my dependence on our Lord, His creativity, and His awe inspiring vastness weren't lost on me personally.

I've spent time in the woods many times before. As a youth, I had the opportunity to learn how to navigate the woods and basic survival skills through a church organization that has proved many times over to be very useful. But on this occasion, I relied completely on the expertise of my daughter's husband without hesitation as we carefully navigated our way over the rugged terrain, the big patches of still melting snow, the fallen trees and through the brush that blocked our view at times. It didn't hit me until later while we were fishing at another lake a fair distance and a very rugged hike from the one we camped next to, that without my son-in-law and his GPS, I wouldn’t have any idea how to get back because I hadn't marked my trail or noted land marks along the way. The only indication of any kind that any human being had ever been in this area before was a little pink plastic flag tied to a branch on a sapling near the area back where we decided to set up our camp and there was no telling how very long ago that could have been. I didn't panic when the thought flickered across my little mind, but being normally self reliant and responsible in similar excursions in life previously, I was suddenly humbled to realize the reality of the moment. I had never been this deep in the forest and never without having a reasonable idea of how to find my own way out.

Reliable as usual, the young man I had placed so much trust in brought us back to camp safely. But as I thought about it later that evening sitting comfortable and safe next to the campfire, it occurred to me that the situation I experienced in that moment of recognition earlier was no different that what I experience in a far more critical way in every day life. I've made the statement of unshakeable conviction before that losing my life in this world isn't the worst thing that could happen to me - but that losing my way to find my place in the house of our Father in the life yet to come would be and for me there is no greater fear.

Our excursion into this life isn't any different than that camping trip. Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit to navigate the constant perils and rough terrain of this life, to a much greater degree than we like to consider the reality of, we'd be lost without hope. We'd have no hope to find our way home or hope of survival as Christians in this world (remember, we don't belong here - we're just passing through. It's a little like being on an extended, adventure filled camping trip). The cougars, bears and other assorted predators native to the deep woods in our area are nothing compared to the cunning and murderous spirit of the devourer who stalks the souls of men full of evil intention and without any shred of mercy.

But we're never alone in the deeps woods of this life if we make the right choices. Our protection, our guidance to find our way and the provision necessary to sustain our all-important spiritual life eternally are all to be found in the one perfect and capable guide. The real challenges before us are the decisions we make regarding whether or not we will submit to His direction and are willing to follow. The best guide and provider we could ever have deep in the wilderness will do us no good at all if we don't submit to their provision and guidance. Our decisions to seek and follow the guidance of the holy Spirit are no less important to our eternal survival and our successful navigation in this life.

There may be moments of our own human trepidation along the way, but we never have real reason to fear if we're following the direction of our God. Everything we need to live, to survive and to grow He's promised to provide. He knows every possible path through the wilderness and has already charted our course. But unless we seek Him out and are willing to follow at every turn, the Holy Spirit can only watch our suffering with sadness. Our Lord will never force us to follow Him, the choice is ours. We can suffer with despair the occasional horror of trying to find our own way and the hopelessness that comes with it. We can live in denial standing where we are while making no real progress and settle for the hollow pleasures of this life. These choices are ours to make. But following the Holy Spirit is a choice available to us as well. This choice requires seeking Him out at every turn and having the patience to actively listen for His direction. It involves a willingness on our part to invest in a constant close relationship with the spirit of our Lord. But gives us confident surety in all that we encounter in our travels in the deep woods of this life.

Looking into the night sky out in the wilderness without another light around to obstruct my view and imagining the awesome hands that not only placed, but maintains the billions of stars that I could see served to refresh my understanding of how immense and how powerful the spirit that guides me is. It refreshed and served to build even greater my confidence in my travels through this life because of my surrender and submission to follow the leading of the one perfect guide and protector who can provide without fail anything I could ever need.

As I thought about these things again later, I realized that my walk through this life with my Lord is never sedentary, but like the children of Israel in the wilderness, when I submit to His direction, I'm always moving, always listening and always following the spirit of our Lord. I'm always on a spiritual camping trip with the great spirit of our God. There are always new adventures, new things to learn and new reasons to stand in awe of Him marveling over the new landscape of life that He brings us to see. There are always encouragements and help to overcome the next ridge to see what He has in store beyond. One day, He'll lead us home again. But for now, we have the awesome privilege if we take advantage of it, to put our trust in Him ... and just enjoy the adventure.