Grizzly bear? There’s a grizzly bear in the area? Maybe I could just look at photos of Avalanche Lake and skip this four-mile hike in Glacier National Park.
Armed with pepper gel spray, we decided to go forward.
“Noise! Noise! Noise!” we shouted as we walked, to warn wild animals to head the other way. We soon discovered we were not as intimidating as we thought.
The smooth wooden walkway transitioned to gravel, giving way to gnarled roots and dirt. The easy part was behind us. Rounding the first corner, we were surprised by the breathtaking white water cascading down through a narrow crevice. After we paused for photos and awes, we continued down the pathway that ushered us into another world.
A rushing stream on our left sparkled in the sunlight, jumping over a million colored stones and big boulders. Trees and vegetation on the steep hill to the right leaned like an umbrella over our heads. Tall pine trees stretched their fingers toward the sun and rustled in the breeze. Silvery dollar-sized leaves came alive with the wind, waving us toward the finish line.
We continued walking hand in hand, shouting “Noise, noise, noise,” when we weren’t talking. When the path narrowed, we walked single file with Peter mostly in the lead.
Suddenly at a bend in the path, a large animal with impressive moss-covered antlers appeared, ambling straight toward us.
“Noise noise noise! ARRRHH!” we shouted.
But there was no fear or hesitation as he continued down our path toward what would be a head-on collision if one of us didn’t move.
We moved.
Fast.
There was nowhere to go except backward since the steep mountain was on the right and the fast-flowing stream was on the left. We picked up heavy sticks and shouted more, but he wasn’t fazed by either. After what seemed like forever, he suddenly pranced up the steep slope, as if bored with this game and satisfied he won.
As one hour turned into two hours, I wondered why we weren’t there yet. We sang songs, made jokes, prayed for friends and family…always making noise to keep away the formidable grizzly.
We inched deeper into the woods, with only each other and an occasional passerby.
“How much farther?” I asked one returning hiker.
“Forty more minutes!” he replied.
My heart sank. Forty minutes! That was not what I wanted to hear. We were supposed to be there by now.
Most of the hike, my impatience to get to our destination and my fear of wild animals kept me from appreciating the beauty around us. The hurry of life had followed me into the wilderness.
Groups of young people whizzed past us. Couples carrying children on their backs also managed to surpass us. But we all reached the same destination. Finally.
Arriving at Avalanche Lake was wonderful. Crystal-clear aqua waters gently lapped over multicolored stones. Three or four waterfalls trickled down ragged snow-covered mountains behind it. It reminded me of Rivendell in Lord of the Rings.
But I must admit I thought to myself, We trudged two and a half hours for this? After enduring the wind for 15 minutes to rest and snap a few pictures, it was time to start the two and a half hours back again.
Great.
But the return went much faster and was more enjoyable. Without my attention being riveted on “getting there” and what time it was, it was more of a step-by-step experience enjoying the wonder of God’s creation. As we spotted the parking lot ahead, we shared a sense of accomplishment in something we would not have attempted alone.
What is the highlight, as I look back at memories of that day? It is not our time at the lake, pretty as it was. It is the journey we took to get there: the excitement of stepping out of my comfort zone, the stillness, the good and bad surprises that awaited us as we moved forward. The wide spectrum of experiences shared with someone I love offered far more meaning than our brief interlude at the lake.
Afterwards, I thought about the grizzly truths about life revealed in that day’s activities.
Focusing on where we want to be robs us of delighting in where we are. And most things seem to take longer than we expect. But there’s joy in the journey! Counting the years— or the minutes— until we “arrive” will not only make it seem even longer, but we will also miss the blessings God has planted along our path. Every. Minute. Has. A. Purpose.
God invites to slow down, as evidenced in His creation. There’s a reason there are no clocks in the forest. He offers wonderful surprises, like waterfalls and sparkling streams. Stop and enjoy them! Expect to find things to marvel over, sent to you from our loving Heavenly Father.
Don’t let fear of the what-ifs keep you from moving forward or seeing His sweet surprises. Most dangers we worry about never happen. Like meeting grizzly bears. We should be realistic about risks and prepare if we can. But the “grizzly bears of life” we usually lose sleep over seldom show up.
However, some dangers do happen that never even occurred to us to worry about. Like our unfriendly elk. They happen without warning, and we are not prepared. They may send us back a few steps in our journey, but the Lord will walk alongside us and guide us despite our being ill-equipped.
We need to approach life at our own pace. Don’t try to keep up with everyone else, or you will end up exhausted. And don’t expect others to keep up with you, or you will win the race but have no one alongside you to share your success with. Walking hand in hand makes the time more meaningful because you have shared an experience with someone you love.
Many of the highlights of life are found just outside our comfort zones. Where does the Lord want to stretch you today?
“Every path of the LORD is [one of] mercy and truth for those who cling to his promise and written instructions.”
I was humbled last week that my poem won Honorable Mention in the Tapestry national writing competition! “Cocoon Breaker” captures an illuminating discovery about myself several years ago, as I bumped along the twists and turns of a small city in Thailand. This journey is etched forever in my mind, as much for the outward scenery as for the inward realization.
The “open-ended passenger truck” mentioned in the poem is called a songthaew, but my Word Weavers group recommended that I not use that word since no one knows what it is. So I included a picture of one below, just so you know!
I may include this poem in my next book I am working on. What do you think?
Is there an adventure you’ve taken? Or one that this poem makes you want to take? Or a sudden realization something triggered in you?
Cocoon Breaker
Whizzing to the airport
alone
In the back of an open-ended passenger truck,
Nonchalantly
holding my luggage with one foot
To keep it from flying out the back,
Bracing myself with the other foot
To keep me from flying out the back.
No doors or glass obscure my view
or protect me;
The panorama through wide-open windows
intoxicates my senses.
Gilded spirit houses, winged idols, tributes to the king
blur past me
As I one-handedly eat Kentucky Fried Chicken,
Keeping the other hand free
To grab the overhead bar for sudden stops.
The strong fumes don’t alarm me.
I only wonder if I’m sitting above the exhaust pipe.
I am suddenly surprised!
I have become someone I don’t recognize.
When did this life become normal
For an overly cautious, small-town girl?
When the Lord of the universe expanded my heart
He expanded my world —
Inviting me out of my safe cocoon,
To charge into that which He created me for.
Risk and love of adventure had been trapped inside,
I was honored to be asked to read a story from my book, Tire Tracks, at the Kingdom Creatives event this past week. It’s an annual event organized by Word Weavers which has performances as well as the presentation of the Tapestry Awards.
This is the first time I have publicly read one of my stories, and I was surprised how much fun it was!
“The Surprising Birthday Gift” is one of my favorites. It is such a tender story of the loving heart of God toward His children, and a mind-boggling example of how He orchestrates all the details of your life. Only three and a half minutes long!
When Tire Tracks was barely a few pages long, Peter and I watched the movie I Can Only Imagine. In one scene, Bart meets Amy Grant. She is thrilled to hear that her songs were the main thing that helped him survive during his difficult teen years of abuse.
I was very moved by the realization that books and music can go endless places the writer will never go and have unlimited potential to touch lives. I grew excited thinking about the far-off places my book could reach and wondered how God might use it as a lifeline where He knows it is needed.
After considering the options, I decided to self-publish. This began the process that I came to call, “Whacking my way through the publishing jungle.” Writing is fun, but I discovered there’s not much creativity or pleasure involved in finding stray commas or misaligned indentations. And there are many steps to learn, like what’s an ISBN and where do I get one?
God provided faithful friends for the initial proofreading and wonderful help through a writers’ group called Word Weavers. My dear friend Maggie Bruehl met with me twice a week to walk through edits. My team of prayer partners prayed for me and offered invaluable feedback on the book title and cover design.
There were times when the publishing jungle ahead felt denser and scarier than I wanted to tackle. Giving up occurred to me at one low point, but it was never a serious option. After a lot of hard work, these stories of His glory were ready to be released to the world.
I am both humbled and honored that God has indeed taken this book to places I may never go and has used it to touch lives just when they needed it. People are reading it in Africa, Europe, Iceland, Asia, South America, North America, and Canada. I am pleasantly surprised that men, women, and those who hold different faiths have enjoyed it. These things have inspired me to begin work on my next book. More details in the future!.
Is there a project you discovered was more hard work than you realized when you started it? What kept you motivated to continue pushing forward? Or are you stuck somewhere along the way?
Is there anything you have dreamed of accomplishing, but the busyness of everyday life kept you from starting? Or finishing?
Tire Tracks was like that, until God used a sad family loss to push me to action.
I have been writing stories about God at work for almost 40 years, and it gives me deep satisfaction when a reader tells me they were touched by my words. I love to make who Jesus is come alive through an entertaining story.
“You should write a book!” friends would tell me.
Someday, I would say to myself, I will have time.
But days turned to months and months turned to years, and still there was no time…until Peter’s dad died in October 2020. Our last conversation with Mr. B, as I affectionately called him, was via Zoom because the nursing home allowed no visitors during COVID-19. He was describing some of his adventures in Alaska and we planned to continue that discussion next time. But there was no next time. The door was suddenly permanently shut to any more details from Mr. B’s life.
In the midst of my grief, it hit me that I could not allow the amazing stories of what Jesus had done in my life to be scattered and lost after I am gone.
So, I offered a gift to the Lord: I would start this book during my one-month sabbatical coming up a few months later. The leadership of the Christian organization we work for recognizes that burnout is common for those in ministry. So, every five years we are allowed to take a period of time set apart for personal development and rest. Shortly after my decision, our organization changed the length of sabbaticals from one month to three months! It seemed like confirmation He wanted me to write this book, and He was giving me time to rest, too.
What is one step you could take this week to move forward on something you would like to accomplish? Do you believe God will meet you there?
