“Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:7&8)
“Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healing, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? But earnestly desire the greater gifts.
And I show you a still more excellent way.”(1 Corinthians 12:27-31)
“Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment… But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Hebrews 6:1-2, & 9-12)
The Value of Off-Trail Exploration
If you’ve done much hiking, particularly in public parks you know that one of the cardinal rules of the trail is to not leave the trail. The reasons for this rule are pretty obvious. Foot traffic does damage to the plants and landscape. Particularly on hillsides, it can erode the soil and greatly affect the natural function of the environment and ecosystem. Which in turn affects its beauty, and function, ultimately spoiling it for others who would want to explore there as well.
That being said, the trails that we do have once were not there, and we would not have them without those who blazed them, and carved a pathway for future generations to explore. Certainly there is a good and even needful place in our world for trailblazing. Both physically and metaphorically the concept of off-trail exploration is key for the discovery of everything that we most value in this life. From homesteading to astrophysics, and from medicine to great engineering feats, there has always been a need for those who are willing to break new ground, to tread into new territory, and explore this life and world into the areas of the unknown.
Then there are those who come next, with a different set of skills; the managers, and administrators, the leaders, who fine tune the trail, and make the way accessible to others. These are the people who are less enamored with the unknown and more concerned with getting some place specific. I appreciate these people and all of their efforts to establish an ordered world. However, I am not one of them.
Both in nature and in my nature I find it very difficult to stick to the trail. And the more established the trail the more I feel the need to step off, even if only for a few steps,… or a short detour. Often I have wondered, am I just a rebel, a strong willed child, a free spirit that must fly or die, or is there something deeper going on inside? Well, since I’ve not yet in my 52 years of life performed a crime worthy formal arrest, I like to think that my curious personality is driven by something more akin to inquisitiveness or creativity, than mere disagreeableness. At least that’s what I tell myself. But whatever the source of the drive in me happens to be, I always find myself drawn like a magnet to the shiny objects, off the beaten path, if not blazing my own trail.
It’s not that I’m not interested in where everyone else is going, or in enjoying the roads that are smooth and reliable. Certainly, the explorers that have gone before me have tested out the alternative routes and decided not to established trails elsewhere for a reason. And for the most part I trust them. It’s just that the more I explore the more I discover that there really is more out there that is worth exploring.
And I find this to be true in every aspect of life. From religion to politics, and from business to play. Always the thing that most captures my attention are the things that no one before, or at least few people before me, have laid their eyes upon. Perhaps it’s the novelty of new things, or the thrill of a unique discovery that excites me, but I think what really keeps drawing me off the trail is the personal encounter I gain with my Creator.
Where The Journey Begins
This past month my family successfully navigated another loosely planned vacation adventure. My oldest daughter, Olivia, had wanted to explore the national parks in Utah; a place that none of us had ever been. And because we were planning on dropping her off in Eastern Idaho for her summer job, it seemed the perfect time to do this. The only problem being that we could not make detailed plans for our trip because she was not able to find out her exact start date for work until about a week before we left.
And so instead of being able to make reservations for where we would stay and when, I opted for renting an RV so we would have more flexibility in where we can stay and how long. As it turned out, Olivia wouldn’t have to start work until a week after the start of our vacation, and so we would have enough time to visit the parks she and I had wanted to explore. Of course, with my wife, Mary, and younger daughter, Sarah and her monster dog, Hiccup, happily aboard.
As it turned out we were able to travel through areas of South Eastern Oregon and Northern Nevada and the Salt lake area in Utah as well, which were all new to us. And although most of this exploration was from our car seats, flying along the main highway, it was none to less exhilarating to see it all for the first time.
Of course it was the times when we could stop and really soak in our environment, to smell the air and feel the heat, and take pictures that the experience became truly complete and memorable. And so we tried to balance the extent of what we would see with periods of pause, where we would have the time to make the experience our own, and something more than postcard viewpoints.
After a mere 2 days and 1,200 miles of driving we arrived at the first of our intended National Park destinations, Capitol Reef. Leading up to our trip I had tried to prepare by watching videos of other people’s experience, and make note of the areas recommended to not miss. But even before hitting the trail the scenery from the parking lot begin to move me far beyond any curated video production. And it hit me that this is how our walk of faith with the Lord works too. No amount of abstract research or intellectual imagining can replace a first-hand encounter with God, and His unceasingly unique creation.
Olivia and I were eager to explore into the hot red rocks. Mary and Sarah not so much. Never-the-less, we convinced Mary to join us on our first hike while Sarah enjoyed some R&R with her big dog. It was late afternoon, the hottest point of the day, but we figured we could manage a 3 miler before dinner. Olivia scrambled up the trail with Mary and I moving at a more relaxed pace.
About half way up the hill Mary decided she had reached her thermal peak and wanted to head back. I offered to join her, but then Olivia said that she would just hang with her mom if I wanted to go the rest of the way by myself. With little hesitation I gratefully accepted the offer and continued up the hill, leaving my ladies to enjoy a moment of solitude and deeper photographic observation of this foreign terrain.
Despite the fact that it was nearly 90°, I was feeling quite comfortable breathing in the warm juniper scented air; I knew the best viewpoints were just a hop, skip and a holler up the trail. Indeed, there was so much new to see I was feeling almost giddy! After all, it’s not every day that I get to witness a 15 ft. tall cone shaped boulder, an ancient juniper tree on its last leg of life, or an epic technicolor canyon view.
It took a great deal of discipline to keep moving, and not just stand there and stare, or step off the trail to gain a little bit better vantage point. But I knew my family was waiting for me and I didn’t want to try their patience too much. So, in order to make the most of my time I ran down the trail, in between dramatic scenes, and exercised a skill I have become pretty proficient at over the years, “speed photography”. Although far from the fine tune composing I would generally prefer to do, it usually yields a couple of decent keepers, that I would have missed if I had not tried at all.
Upon returning sweaty and out of breath, but invigorated and artistically inspired, I told my family “That one short hike was worth the cost and travel time of this whole trip for me!” And I really meant it.
In our lives we strive not just for sustenance, but for the attainment of relationships and goals and experiences that will make our lives more rich and fulfilling and gratifying. And when it actually happens, when things are firing on all cylinders, and the planets align, and we realize an experience we could only dream about before, a special kind of peace and happiness washes over us and we know that we have found our place in the universe. I think seeing and then capturing the aesthetic beauty of our physical world in pictures is one of my divine callings. And not just because it brings me personal peace and happiness, but because it spiritually connects me with the source of all that is good, true, and beautiful. Those patterned rocks and cliffs and trees are no happy accident. They are clearly the very intentional work of someone who wants them to be displayed and appreciated. And when I see them and appreciate them I feel that I am entering the joy of my Creator,…especially when I am able to share that joy with others.
Not Easy But Soo Worth It
Unfortunately the timing of our trip just happened to coincide with a spike in the temperatures, and the rest of our time in Utah was even hotter than the first day, ultimately reaching near 100°. This meant getting up earlier than anyone wanted to, while on vacation, and hitting the trails before the heat set in. We spent one more day in Capitol Reef, one day in Arches and one day in Canyon lands. There is no way I can wrap up this glorious time in a few paragraphs or even a hundred photographs,…but that’s ok, because this post is not about communicating all that was experienced, it is about highlighting the moments of inspiration and Divine insight. And those moments do not occur on demand, but when we simply make the effort to show up, and explore, and look for the unexpected.
This is when the Devine patterns emerge. As we draw closer to the edge, and pier through the cracks, and examine the hand prints on the wall.
Our ancestors made their mark not only on this physical earth, but on our lives, and they can play an even more important role if we take the time to listen and learn and heed the wisdom that they still offer.
In Canyonlands we did a short hike, called the Aztec Trail, up over a steep rock face that would be unnavigable, were it not for those who went before and left piles of rock to lead the way.
The view from the top, looking at the canyons below was breathtaking! But even more spectacular was what Olivia and I discovered, as we explored an off-trail ledge, where we found some ancient adobes and store houses up under the cliff edges. Created first by natural erosion, then inhabited by natives and made into their dwellings, they offered serene solitude and magnificent views, that blended naturally into the landscape.
The people that once inhabited this special place could have chosen a location closer to a stream, or deeper in the canyon, protected from the harsh elements of this high desert environment. But they did not. One can only guess as to why, but if they were anything like me I bet it had something to do with penetrating the veil between heaven and earth, between the status quo and devine revelation.
The Long Haul Home
Our time in those sacred ancient lands ended much too quickly before we had to head North and get Olivia to her summer job. Once more we were relegated to roadside views. Which were not any less visually stunning but tragically less tangible, and memorable as the scenery whizzed by.
As we entered Oregon on our last day of travel, I noticed some signs pointing to historic markers along the original Oregon Trail. Sarah had asked if there was anywhere else I had wanted to stop, and when I saw them I thought “That’s it! that’s what I’ve been looking for to complete the theme of this vacation,…and my next blog post.”
The place we stopped at was just off Highway 84, halfway between La Grande and Pendleton, at an Interpretive Trail called The Blue Mountain Interpretive Park. It was a beautiful park with authentic looking trail markers and off-loaded pioneer memorabilia, impressive historic signs with insightful quotes, and great paintings that mirrored the surrounding landscape.
One could almost imagine what it was like to be a pioneer, trying to follow a rough and meger trail across endless mountains and valleys. Knowing that others had made it, but not everyone. Indeed, the cost of the journey for all was consuming, and always more than they thought they had to give. …And yet they came.
The question that naturally comes to mind is, was life really so terrible in the Eastern and Midwest states that it was necessary to risk it all with such a monumental trip? These were not just young men, as in the California gold rush, looking to strike it rich. These were families, with members of all ages and strength, taking a great leap of faith, with the only thing offered being potential freedom, and tillable land, and the promise of more hard work. And yet they came,… with seemingly invincible fortitude.
Certainly they could not have imagined the full ramifications of their decision. The farming and logging industries that would spring up from such fertile ground, bringing material wealth to the region, and spurring on a host of other technologically advanced industries, like dams to direct the flow of water and generate electricity. Allowing for large cites to be established and a whole new and more efficient civil structure, comprising a vast division of labor, and the potential for freedoms which no one could have imagined before. Like traveling 3,000 miles in a recreational vehicle over 10 days, and seeing some of the greatest sites of the Western states from an air conditioned vehicle.
Now I’m not going to argue that all of this advancement has been progress. It has not, and particularly on a spiritual level, but it does show us that unimaginable things are possible when freedom and curiosity are encouraged. And that some of those pursuits, particularly ones that are harnessed by the wisdom and moral fabric of our forefathers, can yield worthwhile results. And not just because they’re new and novel, but because they actually make the world a more humane and habitable place for all.
In a brief 150 years, the outlook for people traveling across the West has gone from looking something like this…
…to looking something like this…
…to now looking something like this…
Like I said, not all of it progress! It’s definitely a mixed bag. My point is, we need to be asking, where do we go from here?
Unfortunately, a couple areas of life where we have arguably regressed is in the area of humility and reliance upon God and in heeding the wisdom of our forefathers. And because of such Spiritual regression many of our technological, and scientific advances are now being used to try and replace, rather than draw us nearer to our Creator. This is truly tragic, for at the same time when we have the most physical ability to influence the world for good, many are choosing the path of hedonic pleasure, over intimate connection with our Maker.
Of course, this is the natural cycle of human history and none of it surprises God. But it does seem as though we, at this point in time, are at one of those critical fulcrum points. When things could get either dramatically better or tragically worse, depending on how wisely we steward our resources and time, and abilities.
Such wisdom cannot be gained from an AI cost/benefit analysis or the power hungry political leadership, or the greedy wealthy oligarchs. For none of these influencers operate on the basis of real love, but rather on the basis of their own self-preservation.
The reason why our wisest ancestors chose God over all of the other role models is because only He demonstrated and continues to demonstrate His great sacrificial love for us. Putting our interest and our future above the preservation of the rest of the created order. For ever since we arrived on the planet we have not ceased to abuse all that is around us, and use it for our own personal benefit. And yet time and time again He endures this abuse without wiping us out.
Imagine a humanity that actually trusts its maker, that recognizes it’s shortsightedness, and weaknesses, and seeks out the council that it continually needs. Imagine if instead of fighting against the created order we cooperated with it, and mimicked its ecology in our own societal realm.
Well, fortunately not all of humanity is in rebellion against God, And to the degree that we do cooperate with God there are still glimpses of Heaven on Earth. National Parks are one of those places. They are still beautiful and pristine, not just because nature is allowed to run its course, but because good human leaders have put parameters in place to help keep it that way, and good human citizens have honored those rules as well.
The question I should never stop asking myself is, in what ways does my natural self-serving and adventurous nature need to be tamed, and redirected to be in cooperation with my Maker? How do I explore in a way that doesn’t just give me what I desire, but offers back to nature and and especially other divine-image-bearers the same kind of lavish grace that I have received?
Some of the spectacular sites we had the privilege of seeing are estimated to have taken hundreds of thousands, if not millions of years, to become what they are today. That makes me feel a little bit better about the slow progress I have made in 52. All I know is that God, no doubt, has something quite impressive in mind for all of our souls, if He is going to take that much time with some rocks.
…I just pray that humanity wakes up to this beautiful reality sooner rather than later.
Through Spiritual Eyes 