Seeking Him in the Remote Places

I went hiking in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks this past Saturday.

For those of you not from New York State, the High Peaks are any mountain over 4000 foot high.  There are 46 of them in the Adirondacks. I have done one, many years ago and might do at least another before I get much older.

But Saturday, I did a deep woods hike we happened to stumble on, because we got a little lost looking for the mountain I had originally planned to do.

We (a friend and a friend of hers) hiked on a trail called Owens/Copperas/Winch Ponds trail.  Total was 3.8 miles round trip. Perfect for a day that featured weather that kept changing every few minutes. We had sun, high humidity, high temps, low temps, wind, rain and a downpour then sun again.  It was crazy.

The other crazy thing was all the people...families for the most part, hiking this very same trail.  It was very popular.  Which is great...I love to see young people out hiking and miss the times when my daughters would willingly hike with me.

The other crazier thing is that hardly anyone was going to the third pond...and it was only .4 miles from the second one!  Just about everyone was going to go around the 2nd pond to do a loop rather than take the side trail to see the 3rd remote pond.  Which is sad.....because here is the third pond:

Winch Pond
Sentinel Range Wilderness Area
High Peaks Region/Adks
6 August 2016

and as I sat on a rock near the edge, I began to meditate.  And it was in this quietness...this "art gallery" of God's creation, that I realized so many people...hikers, bikers, rock climbers, peak baggers, skiers.......aren't going to see this beauty.  They won't see this remote pond tucked away in the deep woods of the High Peaks/Sentinel Range Wilderness Region.

They won't see it because they won't want to take the extra time for that side trail...even though it's short...it's off the main trail.  Or they might not bother, because they are just checking off "hikes to do" on a list and just want to get back to their car. 

 The trail has roots.  And rocks.  It's not steep but it does have an incline that gets quite wet and slippery and you must use caution.  There are bears in that area so you have to be aware of your surroundings.  It's remote even though the highway is only 1.9 miles back through the woods.  

And as I continued to be silent in that wilderness region, I realized that just like many people won't ever see this remote pond, so too, will people not "see" God....they won't look for a God whom they consider to be remote.

Like the twisting, root-entwined, muddy, rocky trail, some people have lives that are twisting, a heart full of entangled roots, steeped in sin, or anger, bitterness,  falling down broken.

And they won't seek God.  They won't allow their soul to travel to that place where they can find God waiting.........oh how He is waiting for them to come drink at the well of Living Water....God wants us to know eternal life...and to embrace Jesus the Savior so we can live forever in freedom.

They would rather go through life the easy way....just wandering around in a loop that never ends..........and feeling lost, broken, alone.

Some people want to experience life everlasting....they do....but they don't want to do the work required to get there....they don't want to change direction.....we had to change direction to get to this gem of a pond.....it's off the main trail.....

and some people don't want to change.  They don't want to face their inner battles and deal with the root issues.  How did we deal with all the twisted roots in our path??

We stepped up. 

C and L stepping up on to rocks to avoid the twisted roots
Trail past Owens Pond to Copperas Pond
High Peaks Region/Adks

 We stepped onto rocks that were sturdy and in our spiritual walks that is exactly what we must do...we step onto the Rock...........the One who shelters us and is a Refuge. 

"The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress and my Deliverer; my God is my Rock in whom I take refuge..."~Psalm 18:1-2~ 

Rock with tree roots growing over it
near the beginning of the traihead

God is our Rock..He can take and hold our twisted, tangled heartstrings...the things that have deep roots...and untangle them.  That tree pictured above??  Its roots are growing up and over that rock.  The rock is helping to hold up that ancient tree. 

 That Rock is like God....a firm foundation to help hold us up on this life journey.

And to do that, we need to find Him, seek Him, and know Him.

Step out......get your self away to a quiet place.....