I went hiking yesterday with a friend in Strawberry Plains, TN. The night before, we discussed religion and it's contradicting tendencies. We agreed that doubt comes along with being human and that it is okay to have wandering thoughts or questions about the power of Christ. We also agreed that whatever god you believe in comes from the same one true God.
On our hike, we admired creation and began to talk about the tragedy in Eden that led to the separation of humanity and nature. We agreed that being around trees made us feel safe and welcome. Once we reached the first overlook, it began to rain but we were okay with it since it was hot outside. It also felt like we were being cleansed for some reason (could have been the weed). We ended up getting lost a couple times (going off the trails, walking through thorns), it was a mess, really. Thankfully, the sun doesn't set until 8:30 or 9 so we had plenty of time to find our way out.
In the midst of being hopelessly lost (so we thought), my friend asked God to show us the way. It was actually really funny because we weren't that lost. Anyways, we found our way out. Sadly, it's in our nature to believe that we can do everything on our own, and once we realized that we were heading the right way, we were so proud of ourselves. My friend and I both tripped and fell in the mud shortly after our little 'celebration of self ' and even though it made us mad, we realized that it was well-deserved.
The moral of this stupid hiking story is that you are not alone. There is a higher power controlling the universe and there is nothing you can do to cease that truth. When people feel proud of themselves and forget to thank God for what he has helped them to achieve, he always finds a way to humble and remind them of who they really are: finite human beings who desperately need the helping hand of God to survive and find a way through our broken world. Once you are reminded of that, thank him and ask for forgiveness because you're nothing without him.
"We are his portion, and he is our prize" (Deuteronomy 32:9)
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