Watching our steps keeps us on track.
image from California Through My Lens
Among the FB groups I follow, one ranks in the top 5, “I Love the Sierra.” A recent post there took my mind back to 2014, when my grandson Josh and I took off to climb Mt. Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48, reaching 14,505 ft., almost 3 miles above sea level. I walked the bleacher steps at my school’s stadium to get in better shape, and we even spent a night before at a campground at 8,500 ft. to acclimate. When leaving Whitney Portal, the ascent began with a nice, fairly moderate wooded trail. In my ignorance, I assumed the rest of the trail would be as easy. Silly me.
But like the pic of the trail shows, relatively soon at 11,000 ft. we reached the timberline: mostly solid, broken, jagged granite, an altitude too high for trees to grow, and few plants of any kind. Several times, the steep trail almost seemed to disappear. In decades past, workers hauled cement and water up the trail to patch the most treacherous portions, but the strenuousness didn't ease up. Here’s a visual for you: imagine climbing the stairs in a 350-story building: in very thin air.
We had to watch the trail to avoid stumbling or tumbling, but the magnificently rugged scenery compelled our attention as well. After Josh summitted, he slipped on a rock and fell to his knees, fortunately unhurt. But the night we arrived at Trail Camp, just six miles below the peak, a hiker fell, resulting in a compound fracture of her arm and a dislocated shoulder. She chose to hike down six miles, in the dark. Whitney requires you walk wisely.
Life is like that, especially in the spiritual realm. Listen to God's take on life: "Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil" (Proverbs 4:25-27).
The first part applies to Whitney. Have a destination. Then look where you're going. Be careful. But the last phrase takes it beyond Whitney to walking with God. "Keep your foot from evil."
So, have a spiritual goal--know where you want to end up spiritually. Not so much heaven, that's understood. But what kind of person would you like to become? How would you like to impact others?
Then, identify all that can deter you. What dangers exist if you look to the side? What might cause you to stumble? Are you veering off the path? Doing all this will keep us on that trail.
Kick Starting the Application
What spiritual goals do you have? Do you have specific ones? Have you taken time to discover what might keep you from arriving? What rocks of temptation might cause you to fall? What side paths might lead you astray?