“I’m sorry, you want me to do what now?”
I didn’t ask the question out loud, but it was definitely part of my internal temper tantrum. Nine of us were together in the Ozark Mountains working through an orienteering exposition as part of pre-field training for international missions work. Having never backpacked or navigated with just a compass and topographical map before, I was far outside of my comfort zone.
It was my day to lead our group which included my husband and two young children.
My assigned co-leader and I were given a destination-the top of a small mountain. This mountain was much larger and more aggressive than a hill but not a massive peak either. Up to this point, the majority of the hiking completed on our multi-day journey had been done on trails. The map in my hand did not include anything but the features of the land around us which meant we were on our own to determine what direction to take.
I was so sure there would be a trail or at least a pre-worn path to find.
I was confident our guide would not have told us to traverse a mountain without a designated way up it. A preliminary search at the base of the mountain revealed no such trail. We eventually made the decision to lead the team in the cardinal direction we knew we needed to go though still watching for a trail. Eventually, the time came when we needed to start the more aggressive portion of our ascent, but a clear cut path remained hidden.
My co-leader and I had no choice but to keep following the compass.
The dirt and pine-needled ground soon gave way to just large rocks. It was not steep enough to warrant climbing ropes, but it was definitely a challenge that sometimes required the assistance of both hands to keep going. Occasionally, my co-leader and I would stop the group and scout out the area ahead of us to make sure we were headed in a direction that would safely get us to the top and that the route was manageable for the children. There was still no trail, and I was sure I had missed it along the way.
Eventually, we all made it to the top. Our next destination? Down the opposite side of the mountain. Surely a path would appear now. There must have been a visible route laid out before me, and I was just not seeing it.
All the way down I chided myself for not finding the “right” way to go.
Our footsteps were sure and direction solid, but I was convinced I was doing it wrong. Was I leading people the wrong way? Was I making it harder for them than it needed to be?
Have you ever felt this way?
Has God ever called you to do something that you knew nothing about? Have you had to carve your own path in order to follow Him but doubted yourself the whole way? Did it feel like it would be easier, better, if you didn’t have to traipse through the underbrush?
After we made it down the mountain safely, our guide confessed that there was no path.
He had wanted us to figure out how to make our way up and down by trusting the tools and resources we had been given. He affirmed that we had picked a great way to traverse the mountain, despite what I thought. It didn’t feel good. It didn’t feel right. But in the end, it was just fine.
Sometimes God will call us out of what we know and ask us to do something that doesn’t have a clearly defined lane laid out before us.
We have tools to guide us—His Holy Spirit and the Bible. They will lead us where we need to go. It is still prudent to do some scout work, but ultimately we just have to start taking steps forward. Trust that God, our Guide, will not let us fall off the mountain completely and the tools He has provided for us will get us where He wants us to go.
You have learned a lot!! Nice job!!