One of the things I enjoy about hiking is the comradery between people on the trail. We have a common goal: to enjoy this hike and get to our destination. Whether it’s a passing “hello” or “have a good day” or a longer conversation, almost everyone on the trail gets along with each other.
We don’t have to have the same destination. In fact, some hikers have fun asking each group they meet, “Where are you headed today?” We don’t necessarily have the same values – some are looking for quiet forest walks and others are looking for sweeping vistas. No one is judging another person for their choice of scenery. We’re all in this for the natural experience.
Surprisingly, most of the hikers I run across also overlook personal and cultural differences on the trail. Very few people I’ve met on the trail are pushing their own worldview. We may have very different ideas on politics and how life should be lived, but for the most part those differences are set aside for that time in the wilderness.
In John 17, Jesus says, “I have given them [all believers in Jesus] the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one” (v.22). There’s something about the glory of the Lord that makes us one. We can strive for like-mindedness or oneness, but per these verses, oneness comes with the glory of God.
I find this interesting on several fronts, but one reason I find it interesting is because the glory of the Lord often originates in the wilderness (see Isaiah 40:3-5). There’s something about going into the wilderness that helps us to meet with the glory of God. When we are touched by the glory, we can’t possibly be the same – we bring that glory with us into whatever situations we are facing, and everyone knows it.
Maybe that’s why there’s such like-heartedness on the trail. Maybe it’s more than just that we have a common goal – to hike the trail and enjoy the wilderness. Maybe it’s that the glory of the Lord is working on the hearts of everyone there. And with that glory, God is making us one.
