the long walk
I have just returned from a two day long outdoors trip... where I encountered God, learned about my community, and scared away a bear. The first week of Lifeteams has been in every facet, interesting.
It has also had some challenges.
To get to our cabin in the middle of nowhere, we had to hike for three hours with all our gear. I've never even really been on a hike and really am not all that capable of it. So I did what every incapable Christian would do when forced into a seemingly impossible task: I prayed diehard.
The prayers seemed to work for the hike in. Somewhere in the middle of it I got a runners high, and felt like I could probably keep going forever if it came right down to it. I made it to the cabin tired but happy.
The hike home today was different. I was already sore and right off the bat I felt something snap a little in my right leg. I was having some issue breathing and within minutes I was at the back of the group. Despite my best efforts, I remained at the back of the group, having major difficulty keeping up. This had continued for about an hour to an hour and a half when another lifeteams student, Andrew, slowed up to walk beside me. He walked with me for a bit without saying anything and then finally he looked over at me and said 'You know I could take your pack.'
I looked over at him and said, with effort, that no, I wanted to do it by myself. I trudged on. I just wanted to do this on my own, by my own power, not accepting help. So I carried my pack painfully, until Rob called a short rest stop to eat. I put down my pack, and sat down, trying to figure out what was wrong with my leg, and drinking water out of my bottle.
When I looked up, Andrew had put on my pack.
I looked at him and shook my head, wishing he'd take it off so that I wouldn't have to accept help from him. He just looked at me and adjusted his own pack, trying to distribute the weight evenly. I wanted to take the pack off him, to tell him that I was fine and could carry my own gear, but I knew I'd be lying. I was just having a hard time admitting that I was too proud to willingly accept help when I really needed it.
He carried my gear all the way home.
lessons in grace...
I have just returned from a two day long outdoors trip... where I encountered God, learned about my community, and scared away a bear. The first week of Lifeteams has been in every facet, interesting.
It has also had some challenges.
To get to our cabin in the middle of nowhere, we had to hike for three hours with all our gear. I've never even really been on a hike and really am not all that capable of it. So I did what every incapable Christian would do when forced into a seemingly impossible task: I prayed diehard.
The prayers seemed to work for the hike in. Somewhere in the middle of it I got a runners high, and felt like I could probably keep going forever if it came right down to it. I made it to the cabin tired but happy.
The hike home today was different. I was already sore and right off the bat I felt something snap a little in my right leg. I was having some issue breathing and within minutes I was at the back of the group. Despite my best efforts, I remained at the back of the group, having major difficulty keeping up. This had continued for about an hour to an hour and a half when another lifeteams student, Andrew, slowed up to walk beside me. He walked with me for a bit without saying anything and then finally he looked over at me and said 'You know I could take your pack.'
I looked over at him and said, with effort, that no, I wanted to do it by myself. I trudged on. I just wanted to do this on my own, by my own power, not accepting help. So I carried my pack painfully, until Rob called a short rest stop to eat. I put down my pack, and sat down, trying to figure out what was wrong with my leg, and drinking water out of my bottle.
When I looked up, Andrew had put on my pack.
I looked at him and shook my head, wishing he'd take it off so that I wouldn't have to accept help from him. He just looked at me and adjusted his own pack, trying to distribute the weight evenly. I wanted to take the pack off him, to tell him that I was fine and could carry my own gear, but I knew I'd be lying. I was just having a hard time admitting that I was too proud to willingly accept help when I really needed it.
He carried my gear all the way home.
lessons in grace...
2 Comments:
Met a bear did you? nice. Did he like you, was he angry?
Did you tell him off? And did you really think that Andrew wouldn't take your pack?
"The Long Walk..." Hmmm. Historical context?
The name given to a hike that the early communists in China took before they had control, in which they walked halfway across China...and most of them died.
A bit of an overblown metaphor...maybe
We all face our own long walks...and some of us die.
Glad you're still alive, Meaghan.
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