We
had gotten there a little later than usual.
Storms were blowing in and we went about setting up the tents and
equipment. After an hour or so it
started to rain. Around 3:30pm in the
afternoon, the rain was steady. Rather than being confined to our tents and
area, we decided to hike around the lake looking for wildlife. With our ponchos keeping us dry and
comfortable we started looking for various tracks. The rain picked up, which helped to muffle
our sound, as well as our scent. With
the excellent cover we soon found a large group of deer making their way
through the forest. We followed the
deer, keeping watch, seeing how close we could get without being noticed. Once or twice we were detected and the deer
would take off across the hills and we would move away and plot a course to
intercept them.
Well,
we lost track of time, playing “reindeer games”, when I had noticed it getting
darker. I thought it was part of the
storm passing overhead, but realized too late that it night coming to the
forest and not simply another dark cloud.
When we realized that we had overstayed our time, we reoriented
ourselves to the lake. The lake is 6 to
7 miles around its shoreline; we thought we were about half way. Rain was continuing, and with the foliage
overhead it was getting progressively darker.
The rain also made the rocks and forest floor on the side of the hills
rather slippery, slowing our movement, as we picked our way around fallen
trees, ravines, cliffs and other unknown objects in the dark.
We
were struggling and getting frustrated in the dark. At this point, Cathie was trailing me as we
held hands to stabilize one another and to simply maintain connection in the
dark. As I recall, somewhere in that
process Cathie said something about the next time we go on a hike we should
start earlier. It seemed to me to be one
of those really helpful comments spoken at the wrong time, and I turned to make
a smart remark that I probably would have regretted later.
As
I turned to respond to Cathie I was able to see her face clearly. I looked past her face and could see back
from the direction we had come about 50 feet into the woods. I stopped.
I looked to my left and could see about 10 feet off to my left. I turned around and could now see about 70
feet in front of us into the forest. I
asked Cath if she could see what I thought I was seeing and she said yes. We looked at our hands and could see some
sort of the light reflecting off our hands.
There was no moon that night, no lightening with this heavy rainstorm
and we were standing under the forest foliage, with this light around us.
Anyway,
I was amazed. I stood there thanking
God, and turning, I asked my wife what we should do. Sometimes I ask really stupid questions. She wisely said we should keep going and try
to find the trail and head toward our camp.
As we moved, the light moved with us.
We eventually found the trail and headed in the direction toward our
campsite. Every so often I stopped and
looked around for the source of the light – I found none – yet it
persisted. My wife encouraged me to keep
walking…
After
3 to 4 miles through the forest, we got back to our campsite, the light staying
with us the whole time. As soon as we
got back to the site I grabbed the flashlight and in the moment I turned it on,
it was the only light source in the dark.
You say nice story
Rob, but I don’t believe you.
As
I think about this story, I have a hard time believing me, but I have a
problem. My
wife was there, and we both shared the same experience. What do I do with that?
Application
I
am reminded of my forest experience when I reflect on the challenges we face at
work:
- Issues of creativity, focus - strength to see a project task through to a completion, finding satisfaction in work. Think about dealing with difficult people – isn’t that a dark night of the soul?
- It is so challenging to be nice to everyone, to acknowledge and celebration other folks’ efforts and victories.
- Think about tasks you can do here at work for which no one will ever know it was you that did that thing. Isn’t that troubling – no credit or brownie points?
- On a grander scale we have projects like the Owasso Joint Venture, the Broken Arrow Hospital, or the PACMAN project. They each in their own ways seem to be very dense forests.
By letting God come to work with us, He can provide insight, focus and
inspiration, thinking way outside the box, circle, rhomboid, or the cubicle in
which you live. He helps us to look at
issues differently.
With
His help, we can move beyond the areas over which we feel we have control
and step out into areas where our fear says we are at risk or have the most to
lose.
I have a couple questions for you
Do you truly want God active you where you live & work? Have you given Him permission to mess with your life?
-
We have free will, or choice, and God will not come into an area He has not been invited.
- In Deuteronomy 31:7, He has promised to never leave or forsake me.
- In 2 Chronicles 15:2, God says “Seek Me and you will find Me”.
- In Matthew 7:7 Jesus says "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
The other question is - If you want Him active, are you willing to leave some preconceived ideas of religion at door?
-
In our culture and world we are pretty smart people, proud. We have defined God from our perspective and wisdom. We have built complex religions with our little 3 pound brains. We come from a Greek mind set that elevates the intellect and rational thought – a lot of good things come from that….
- The world didn’t recognize Jesus when He came the first time. The best minds, the brightest people, only a couple thousand years ago. He didn’t fit their definition of a Savior. He was a lunatic, or a liar – cause He couldn’t possibly be their Lord.
- Much as Israel is the point of contention for the world today in all that is playing out, Jesus was and continues to be the stumbling block for those seeking to know God. It all comes down to who you think Jesus is.
Want to leave you with this
Challenge
Proverbs 3:5-6 (Be intentional - Ask God to be active in your life. Read through this a couple of times and then break apart.
Trust in the LORD
with all your heart and (Seek Him, run after, pester Him, knock down
the door, tackle Him, go after Him)
Lean not on your own
understanding;
(Have faith, use your mind and all your
assets but don’t be limited by it, realize He doesn’t think like you or me
and that is a very, very good thing)
In all your ways
acknowledge Him, and (Strive to be Obedient, ask Him for help to
simply do the simple stuff, help me with first steps, celebrate God in
everything you do)
He will make your paths straight. (Lord please help me to see you when you show up in my life, help me
recognize your solutions, Be expectant, know that collaboration with God in
this life is the goal and the true mark of success)
