We’ve been talking the last couple weeks about extending grace to others and calling them higher rather than trying to mold those people and situations to fit our expectations. A MeWe friend commented, “We live in hope, not expectation.…
Giving Grace and Calling Higher
Last week we talked about how giving grace to the people and situations around us can have untold benefits: benefits of peace in our own hearts, benefits of allowing people grow into the reality that God has for them.…
Expectation, Reality, and Disappointment
There are a few national parks that have been a disappointment to me. To others, they are the best-of-the-best, but I found them a disappointment. The problem was that I was looking for something else in them – I wasn’t…
Delight in the Wilderness
I read a beautiful quote about the wilderness the other day. The author said, When God created the earth, He put so many delightful things in it because He stocked it from heaven. Right? So He’s filled the earth…
Seasons and Faithfulness
In the beginning of the world, God set out time. He created seasons to mark time and to prove His faithfulness through the years. “And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to…
Preparedness is Key
It is absolutely vital to be prepared when we go out into the wilderness. Some parks require specific tools and preparation – for example, a shovel and a bucket; or to carry a certain amount of water per person; or…
Awe and Humility
Last week, I wrote about how the wilderness leaves us in awe – a sense of reverential fear at something bigger than ourselves. I finished by saying, “We’re not afraid of a mountain view, but it humbles us and…
A Sense of Awe and Fear
Some of the places we go in the wilderness fill our hearts with wonder. Sometimes we are struck speechless by the sheer majesty of the view before us: the thick forest, the massive mountains, the sheer cliffs, the craggy peaks,…
Generously Compensated for Failure
A number of months ago, a social media friend posted a picture of a beautiful mountain scene. He wrote, “Hiking up from the Lake Louise ski hill in October in Banff National Park I had planned to go over…
Reason to Hope
We love to see God come through for us, to feel His presence. As the psalmist put it, “Better is one day in your courts [presence] than a thousand anywhere else” (Psalm 84:10). We long to feel God and His…