An Epic Journey or More than the Destination

Our plan for the weekend was to have Fathers and Sons share in an epic journey across Rocky Mountain National Park, 19 miles from Bear Lake on the east side of the park, up and over 12,324 foot Flattop Mountain , to our destination of Grand Lake on the west side.  After hearing about much interest in this journey from others we found that our selected date was in conflict with most families schedule to start up with school.  We will consider another date next summer for our next epic father-son journey!

 Our day dawned bright and clear Friday morning.  Dave and I and our three boys, Calvin (13), Samuel (13) and Luke (10) met with the Park Ranger in the back country office to get our permit for our back country site along the Tonahutu Creek.  The Ranger spoke to the boys about a number of things but concluded with this statement “I don’t know who these guys are in your life, but you need to thank them!  They are going to be taking you on one of the most incredible journeys you will have in the park!  You young men are fortunate indeed!”  A smile came across the faces of Dave and I.

We loaded up our heavy packs, each one of us carrying a load we were not accustomed to carrying.  We began our ascent above Bear Lake realizing that this would take a supreme effort.  As a matter of fact we knew this journey would fit into our themes of authentic manhood we would discuss:  1) to reject passivity, 2) to accept responsibility, 3) to lead with courage, and 4) to look for the greater reward. 

As we paused at our first junction, I noticed a sign directing us to Flattop Mountain.  This signaled the start of the real work but I noticed a more interesting feature of this sign…the reflection of a cross.  We are on this journey in life because of Jesus and it is by His strength we walk as men.

We kept a careful eye on the clouds which seemed to be building some as we climbed.  Our pace was slower than usual with our load but the young lads were not deterred and even our youngest led for much of the way up the trail.  We paused to read from scripture and to snack for replenishing our energy along the way and soon we were above tree line.

 

The clouds now became more ominous, particularly to the west which was our destination.  We felt we had the energy and the strength and we very much desired to be able to say to ourselves, yes we could traverse the length of RMNP.  We continued.

Then, high on the mountain we heard the crack of thunder, we saw the flash of lightening in the north.  Was this wise to continue?  We were now on the summit of Flattop and looking west.  We saw the trail head off in the distance.  It extended several miles high above treeline directly in line with the darkest clouds.

 

What example should we set for our young men…persevere and continue to fulfill our commitment to the journey and the destination?  Five to ten minutes passed.  We longed to reach that distant goal.  Would we be rejecting passivity, accepting responsibility, leading with courage and looking to the greater reward if we turned back now?

 I must say the decision wasn’t easy.  Weather in the mountains is very unpredicatable and it could change for the better (or worse) quickly.  But, we decided that a man on a journey must be attentive to what is happening around him.  The warnings were clear, the courageous thing to do was to turn back and leave our back country site at Tonahutu and Grand Lake to another day.  In fact at our campfire later that night, Calvin mentioned that same thing, that we showed courage to be able to turn back and not be tempted to do something that was not right.

We all learned that this epic journey was more than the destination.  Perhaps our young men learned something more about being men. 

I have no idea what our guys will remember from this weekend when they are older but I learned to accept again to enjoy the journey and not be caught up in some destination that may or may not happen…even if it meant we carried tents, sleeping bags, pots, pans, food, clothes, all kinds of many gadgets to the top of Flattop Mountain and all the way back to the parked car again (9+ miles) only to drive to another camp site in RMNP and set up camp a few feet from our car. 

Ultimately our young men did reject passivity by attempting this journey,  they accepted responsibility by carrying their own load, they went with courage not knowing for sure whether this was something they could do and they had an eye to the greater reward even when they had to turn around.

Its the journey.

Scott for Wellspring © Copyright 2007

Being the Beloved

 

I spent a week in the park with my son Samuel to celebrate turning 13.  Our mission: to have fun, share in hiking/climbing adventures (and a little golf), see wildlife, kayak, develop further our relationship as father and son and as friends, to understand a little more about David who was called a “man after God’s own heart”, and to deepen our walk with our heavenly Father.

Perhaps I started this journey with too much apprehension about making it special, but the end result was a blessing.  It was a trip that started with prayer and finally a decision to focus on enjoying one another and having fun along with the spiritual focus.  I can’t begin to say all that it did because I am sure that there will be a reaping of rewards for years to come.  God always finds ways to turn things out for the best…even when we are trying our best to make things turn out for the best (when we seldom know what’s best).

I will forever remember his eagerness for our nightly discussions about David and what makes him a man after God’s own heart, the discussion we had on the beach along the Pacific Ocean late in the day talking about David and Bathsheba and purity and honesty, about the chats about everything and everything as we hiked, the views from Hurricane Ridge, the seals from our kayak, the black-tailed dear, the starfish, the morning lattes at Bella Rosa’s, the rustic hut we stayed in, the campfires, the rainy 9-mile hike in the Hoh Rainforest, the long hike in deer park in the rain and the climb of Maiden Peak…

I guess you get the picture.  It is good to get away sometimes and gain some new perspective.  It is good to let your young son who is turning 13 know that he is beloved in your eyes (and that he is beloved in the Father’s eyes).

Isn’t this what we are all wanting to know?  That we are the beloved of our Heavenly Father?  That we can be free to live a life of joy because we know we are loved?  That we have been loved from the beginning?  My hope is that we will know this deep in our hearts and that we can be the bearer of this good news to those around us, especially our children…May they grow up to declare God’s wonderful love.

Ps. 71:17 Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.

Scott for Wellspring © 2007

How goes the battle?

Did you know you are in a war?  Most people aren’t aware of this fact on a moment by moment or even a daily basis.  Scott and I meet every week to ask each other the question “How is the battle going?”  The fact that we are in a war hit me again a year or so ago when Scott and I were working our way through John Eldredge’s book “Waking the Dead”.  The first chapter is titled “We are at war”.  His point being that until we realize we are in a war nothing else in life will really make sense, because it’s easy to pass off everyday struggles and hassles as a normal part of life.  It’s easy to resign ourselves to the fact that they will always be present.  In one sense this is true, scripture even confirms this fact:  

“In this life you will face trouble”. (John 16:33) 

But in another sense, these ”hassles” etc. that we face are a call to war.  A war in which Christ has given us everything we need to fight the fight of victory rather than resign ourselves to defeat.  (Satan loves it when we just give up) 

When you face a common hassle in life, (Not feeling like going to work, the desire to avoid a messy work situation, or just the effort of trying to eat right), how often do you take time to consider just what it is that you are facing on a spiritual level?  This is usually where we give in to the ”hassles” of life and do our best to just “get through it”.  But I think these moments are actually a call to war. 

Are you ready for war? 

Are you even aware you are in one? 

More often than not the real issue is below the surface.  Do we take the time to let God search our hearts and show us the true nature of the battle? 

I am certainly not advocating a “Satan behind every bush” mentality,  but neither would I encourage people to pass off the ”hassles” of life as some sort of depression, relational difficulty, or _______ (Fill in the blank), as just part of life.  We are at war, and God wants us to fight for his glory and the abundant life he offers.  He has also uniquely equipped us to fight this battle in partnership with Him. 

Will we?

Much of my own personal battle has been waged against the spirit of fear.  I recognize that for much of my life I have been susceptible to this tactic.  I have surrendered to the spirit of fear over and over.  I feel like giving in to it all the time.  Fear is a relentless foe in my life.  I continue to face this enemy on a regular basis, but at least I am facing it, and I am learning to fight.  This is what God calls me to, and he equips me with what I need to be victorious. 

What about you?  What enemies are you facing?

How goes the battle?

Dave for Wellspring © 2007