"Walk by Faith"

Creative response to “The Substance of Things Hoped For” Chapter in Peace Like a River

Inspired by Wilderness Trail: A Backpacking and Adventure Ministry

 “Walk by Faith”

                About a month ago, I had the incredible opportunity to lead a group of middle and high school students on a hike through the Ocala National Forest. I’ve been on many hikes the past few years, exploring areas of the Appalachian Trail in southern Virginia and have even spent some time hiking in Colorado, but never have been the leader of a group. I simply was along for the ride and enjoyment of the company and fellowship. The weekend hike was organized by an incredible organization known as Wilderness Trail, which is a backpacking and adventure ministry based out of Waynesville, North Carolina. Every summer, hundreds of youth experience a summer hike, exploring the wilderness and seeking God through his creation and their brother and sisters in Christ. However, the summer experience is not enough. People can’t wait an entire year before they are able to experience the adventurous, fun, and life-changing experience again. Essentially, they want to go on more than just one hike a year. They want to experience this adventure year around. Thus, the ministry was brought south to Ocala this winter, and my presence as a leader was requested. Despite having never led a hike, I willingly accepted the call and offered to walk the trails of Ocala, not knowing where I was going or really what I was to do.

                Thankfully, my brother (who is a veteran hiker having been on staff at Trail for five summers) was full of advice and encouragement to help prepare me to lead my group. I called him a few days before the weekend of the hike to talk about little things to remember, and even just how to prepare for the weekend. But there is one thing he told me that stands out. He said, “The best thing for you to do is realize that you have completely no control over anything that happens throughout the weekend.” While the thought seems frightening, it is true and stress relieving. Think about it: when you decide to take an adventure; to walk in the wilderness- away from civilization, safety, shelter, cell phone reception, and easy access to a quick transportation, you are putting yourself at risk of injury, fear, worry, and potentially serious situations. One is unable to control the weather, the animals in the environment, the people that cross your path, the functioning of the group equipment to make meals, the durability of tents or tarps to provide shelter, and the list goes on. In reality, you really have no control. “You must trust the process.”

                Wilderness Trail has a few different themes that have come about over the years and been used not only as logos for t-shirts, but for continually application and reminders in our life. Some of the mottos are as follows: “Each Step with a Purpose”, “Bear one another’s burdens”, and “Trust the Process.” As I tried to gracefully transition from a frantic school life to leading this retreat weekend in Ocala, I was feeling very weary and thought I could barely go on the hike as a participant, much less the leader. But since I have a great tendency for worrying about every single thing (to which accomplishes nothing), I decided that this weekend I was not going to worry about things that I couldn’t control. I was too exhausted to worry and decided I was just going to trust God to lead me and give me strength and wisdom as I lead my group.

                It was the morning of our hike to begin and I didn’t even know that path we were supposed to take. All I knew was we were supposed to go North on the trail, but since this was the first time any of us had every hiked in the Ocala National Forest, it was all new to us. It wasn’t like those who had loads of experience from summer hikes would know where to go. It was all new. Another group from Wilderness Trail was hiking the opposite direction as we were. Since our group got started a little late, we were the last group to be dropped off at the trail head to begin our hike. I remember hoping that somehow the other group who was hiking South on the same trail would still be there so I could see the direction they were going and just go in the opposite direction. If not, I thought, hmm….I’ll just look at the location of the sun to determine what direction is North so we could hike the right way. Thankfully, the other group was still there when we were dropped off so we just went the opposite way, hiking on the orange blazes of the Florida Trail.

                Even though I was the leader, I had two great junior staff girls who “bore my burdens” and helped me throughout the weekend.  Since I didn’t even know where were to camp on our first night, one of my junior staff’s had  hiked this trail a few weeks before so she knew where we would be going. After a beautiful day of hiking, we reached our camp site, set-up our tents and relaxed for a while. The water given to us by the support team, volunteers who stay back at base camp that do numerous jobs behind the scenes to make the weekend possible, came later than expected and consequently dinner was later as well. Even though the youth were hungry and not happy about having to wait, there was nothing I could do about it. The stove seemed to be taking an abnormally long time to boil the water so the red beans and rice had to wait to be cooked. While I usually would have been so worried and afraid to disappoint the people in my group, I had this peace that everything was going to be fine. God had the whole weekend all taken care of and planned out. I didn’t have to worry. I just needed to trust the process.

                As Scripture talks about, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” In life we are to walk by faith, not by sight. It is so hard to set out on a trail and realize that you have no idea where you are going. You are simply walking and hoping you reach the campsite before it gets dark. Or even better, you are hoping to see a familiar face along the way, someone who can direct you and guide you as to where you should go or what you should look for. Going on a hike greatly compares to the journey of life. Each step you take should be done with purpose. You are not always going to know where you are going. You are going to travel paths that are unknown, fearful, and even scary, but the adventure and the fun rests in pursuing the unknown, while at the same time trusting God’s will for your life in the process. Initially, the journey and the atmosphere can be foggy. You might not know where you are going, but you must take the first step and the step thereafter. Eventually, the fog will rise, the sun will shine, and you see the light of day. You will see a friend along the path who will guide you, even though God is really guiding you all along, to your campsite, to your destinations where you will ultimately find rest and life. When you get to the campsite, you can set up your tents, play games, build camp fires and roast marsh mellows, sing worship songs and seek God as a family, as a body. But you will never experience the wonder, beauty, and joy of being home at the campsite, unless you first walk the path. You must step out and walk even if you don’t know the path you are going. You must bear the burdens of those around you and trust the process and plan God has for your life, even though it might be a little foggy.