Plant Your Flag

Imagine that you and I decide to go on a hike together. It doesn't really matter where. But let’s pretend it’s a nice day and the hike is moderately long. As we set off with our packs and bottled waters, things look good. Then, about a mile or so in, out of nowhere, I begin to share with you that I’m really worried that we might encounter a snake. Or, what will we do if it begins to rain? I mean, I didn't pack my jacket. And, uh, are there bears in this area? And, ya know, the ground is uneven, too, and what if one of us falls and breaks an ankle? How far away is help? And, oh man, I forgot to take my Claritin this morning, and I read that the pollen count today is going to be brutal! And…and…

I suspect that at some point you’re going to tell me to quit freaking out, to quit worrying, and to start thinking positive. You will no doubt try to point out the beautiful trees, the big sky, the sunshine above, or all the many flowers gathered around us. You may express your desire that I come around, because this is quality time that we’re spending together, and you were really hoping that we could talk. If I still don't calm down? You might think that something’s wrong with me and that it's time to turn back.

Now…what it the hike was life? Think about it. Don’t we all sometimes act the way I acted in this story? Jumping at shadows, obsessing over possible calamities, fearful, worried or focused on the negative? The “what if’s” become the “what then’s” and they go round and round in our heads on an endless loop. I wonder what it must be like for God to be hiking next to us on the journey of our lives and to see us acting this way, to see us get so lost, and then watch us as we miss SO very much that He created us to be and to see.

Thankfully, though, He has unlimited grace and patience. He never leaves our sides or gets fed up with us. He never throws up his arms and says, “That’s it. I’m outta here. Let’s give up and go back to the car!” Instead, He waits for the proper moment to remind us, when we’re ready in our hearts to hear it, that we we’re never created to be worriers and doubters.

We were created to be adventurers and to someday lay claim to the summit of our lives.