“You’re joking, right?”
My husband had just asked me if I would consider going on a backpacking trip with him.
Corey loves the outdoors. Give him a mountain to climb or a river to canoe down, and he is in his element. His need to be immersed in the wilderness left me perplexed for years. I prefer my memory foam mattress to the ground and my flush toilet to a latrine in the trees. Though I was on board with him taking off a couple times a year for a trip with the guys, removing his buddies and adding me to the equation was not in my plans.
But my man is persistent, and somehow he convinced me to give it a go. Carrying fifteen pounds on my back (he mercifully gave me a light pack) and wearing my weight in mosquito repellant, I fell in step behind the man I love on the Superior Hiking Trail.
Much to my surprise, I enjoyed backpacking. I not only found delight in the great outdoors, but my love was renewed for the One who created it. When we were walking through a secluded valley among colossal evergreens, I was overwhelmed that God could create such awesomeness and still desire a relationship with me. And as we gazed at the night sky void of all light pollution, the stars seemed to shout out his majesty and his love.
God communicates with us through nature. Scripture says the heavens declare the glory of God. If we are unable to see it, it may just be we are too engrossed in our comforts of home.
So go ahead. Take a walk through the wilderness, and see what God reveals about Himself to you. You might find yourself pleasantly surprised.
(Photo courtesy of morguefile and aconant.)
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Kim Harms is a freelance writer who lives in Huxley, Iowa with her husband and three sons. She enjoys writing for Today’s Christian Woman and a variety of other publications. In addition to writing, she operates 500 Dresses, a clothing ministry to impoverished children, and she can be found online at www.kimharms.net and www.500dresses.org.