Getting Guidance (Part 1)

Anyone who has read my previous blogs would know that I am an avid hiker. I live in the perfect city, province, and nation to do so. Before I embark on a hike, I google to find out possible hikes in my area and maps to help me find my way once I’m there. I must admit that despite research and maps it is very easy to lose one’s way. Unfamiliar territory that shares much in common ends up looking the same to the outsider. Even hikes that I’ve done in the past cause me confusion when there are little to no markings along the way to direct one’s steps.

Last year three of us rose to the challenge of doing a two-day overnight hike. After much research I found a remote place a couple of hours from the city and we started our adventure. As it was mostly flat terrain, the best way to navigate our journey was to follow the path carved out by previous hikers’ footsteps. But once we reached the rocky areas there was no path to follow. 

Thankfully, we spotted a pile of stones that we later found out were called “cairns” that hikers had built on top of various rocks along the way to direct future hikers onward. We came to depend on these. Under the gruelling weight of our backpacks and the unrelenting heat of the sun, we wondered how much further to our overnight accommodation. What a welcome relief when we came upon some hikers walking towards us. Hearing that they were coming from where we were going, our first question was how much further to our destination. Their response encouraged us that we were on the right track, but the reality was that it was still further than we expected. With the little energy we had remaining we eventually made it to our accommodation.

I often think about how hiking connects with getting guidance for our journeys in life. What is comforting to me is that God hasn’t left us alone on these journeys. He has definitely given us His Word as a map. That’s why verses like Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path,” are so helpful. However, if we are not willing to do the research and get guidance from it, we are bound to get lost. I can fully understand that even when reading the Word it is hard to interpret it and apply it to our day-to-day life. For me, it has been people I may not even know who have left “cairns” that have helped me find my way in very unfamiliar surroundings; people who have done that part of the journey and were mindful of those following after them. That’s why I believe writing journals, books, devotionals, etc. are vital to passing on life lessons that will benefit the next generation of seekers. Then there are those who show up on our path when we most need a word of encouragement to keep us pressing forward and not to give up under the scorching heat of our circumstances. Yes, we still have to make the decision to either turn back or move forward, but it is life-giving to know that others have made it so far and are still alive to tell the tale!