Multiple times I have written about leaving the paved path and making progress. Well, I find myself at a new trailhead in life. It is time, once again, to go figuratively off-roading.  

Have you ever gone hiking? My introduction to the activity came during the time I was dating my Hubby Guy. I lived in Florida at the time. It’s important to note here that the highest point in Florida is less than 400 feet above sea level. My heart and lungs were those of an honest flat-lander. He, however, lived in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia where hiking is cheap and easily accessible in every direction.

We hiked, when I visited, in the name of getting to know each other. I learned that he offers good-natured humor to those who are suffering. He learned that I have a willing spirit and a dogged determination to not die on a mountain. After we married, we set a goal to hike every trail in Shenandoah National Park.  

 Recently, I was sitting with God out in nature. From my spot high up on a mountain, the Lord pulled my attention to the next ridge over. I traced the ridge repeatedly with my eyes. As I did so, the song Good Plans by Red Rocks Worship  boomed in my earphones. My heart stirred and tears spilled onto my cheeks. I have felt so content, proud even, hanging out on my current figurative mountaintop in life. I knew in that moment that the time for taking in views was over. God has good plans for me, plans that require movement on my part.

 The act of hiking, especially a mountain hike, provides a beautiful picture of how personal growth works.:

First – We must leave our familiar paved path. All hikes start at a trailhead and promise new vistas.

Being Type A, I am bad about doing the same things the same way all the time. Too many times, I show up to a place and have zero memory of how I got there because my muscles and my car no longer need my brain to get places. Are you familiar with that phenomenon? It always scares me when it happens. Granted, there is nothing inherently wrong with having time-tested and battle-proven ways of doing things. We limit ourselves, though, when we white-knuckle our ways so much that we stop growing, learning, and having new experiences.

Second – We understand there will be a level of difficulty to endure. If you hike in the mountains, chances are the trip will include moments that challenge you both physically and mentally. Those moments teach valuable life lessons.

We have a favorite hike in Shenandoah National Park called Dark Hollow Falls. It is a 1.4-mile round-trip hike. It starts with a .75-mile descent to a breathtaking waterfall. I love it for the trip down. The little brook off to the right of the trail captivates me. The ease of descent encourages me onward. The growing sound of the falls builds my anticipation to near bursting. When the falls come into view, a smile is always visible on my face. I quickly make my way to the water’s edge and find a perch where I can sit and let the beauty of the moment run away with me.

Inevitably, though, my thoughts turn to the return trip. What starts beautifully turns ominous in a hurry. I spend the rest of my time in the hollow begging, pleading, and questioning my life choices. I bargain with God for the ability to teleport myself back to the trailhead. Somehow, every single time we decide to go there, I fail to recognize the terror of the return hike until I look at the falls.

Third – We emerge from the trail with fresh, new experiences. Perhaps, we understand something more about ourselves.

Something magical happens near the top of the return hike out of Dark Hollow Falls. The pain, exhaustion, and often anger that drive me up the mountain shapeshift into feelings of accomplishment, power, and victory. When the parking lot comes into view, a smile is always visible on my face. A lot of the time, that smile is accompanied by tears. Both are welcome.

We cannot experience personal growth without being challenged. For me, that means figurative off-roading with the Lord. It means following Him into deep places where I may need to wrestle with hard things. But, I look forward to reaching the next ridge over.

Where is the Lord leading you, lately?

Jeremiah 29:11 (CSB) – For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.