PK’s Ponderings

September 22, 2005

Take a Hike! No, Really!!

Now that I have your attention, no, I’m not mad at you, nor have any of you done something that makes me wish you would remove yourselves from me for a long-distance journey. Rather, I am hoping that you take the advice above, not for my sake, but for yours, and for the sake of your soul.

5:30 am comes early for me. I think earlier than for most people, at least that’s what my body tells me. But up I got yesterday morning, in the hopes of being in place in a deer stand before the sun would rise from its own sleepy journey. (Now those of you who don’t like deer hunting, keep reading, I promise that no animals were harmed in the events that followed).

While waiting for the darkness to be pushed away by the first rays of sunlight, I was treated to the sounds of four owls, encouraging each other, and the rest of the woods to wake up and get busy; the day was underway. Little by little, the forest came alive, and other birds called unto one another greetings of joy. That is except for two crows who sounded like they were an old married couple more accustomed to grumbling at one another rather than whispering sweet nothings to one another. Butterflies began their graceful journeys from one tree to another. Squirrels began their daily activity of finding buried nuts, and reburying them in new places, or getting their morning exercise by jumping from one tree to another. The multitude of green that marked the vegetation around me began to come alive. You should be so glad that I am not God – we would only have one shade of green, but God in His infinite variety has caused hundreds of greens to catch our eyes. A doe was chased out of the brush behind me by a buck with a velvet-covered, four-pointed crown of horns. They were in such a position that I could not get a shot on them, and was forced to simply watch their artful and delicate play until they were out of sight. A slight breeze fell across my face and a renewed sense of the awe of God and His creation began to fill my heart and I found myself simply worshiping, not nature, and certainly not Mother Nature, but the God over creation, for His power, His creativity, His meticulousness, His care. After about an hour and a half of soaking in the wonder of God’s creation, I began the process of descending out of the stand and heading for my truck, empty-handed (except for the rifle I had taken with me), but certainly not empty-hearted. The time spent in worship of my God was refreshing to my soul, and sustaining for my day.

The experience reminded me of some advice from an “old friend”. In the book, Lectures to My Students, a compilation of lectures to his students at the Pastor’s College in London, England, Pastor Charles Spurgeon advised, in a chapter entitled, “The Minister’s Fainting Fits”, a chapter addressing the issue of ministerial depressiveness, that occasional walks and stays in nature are needful for the work and sanity of those in ministry. I believe though, that his words are true for all of us. Here is a portion of his counsel:

To sit long in one posture, poring over a book, or driving a quill [pen, computer keyboard, etc.] is itself a taxing of nature; but add to this a badly ventilated room, a body which has long been without muscular exercise, and a heart burdened with many cares, and we have all the elements for preparing a seething cauldron of despair . . . He who forgets the humming of the bees among the heather, the cooing of the wood-pigeons in the forest, the song of birds in the woods, the rippling of rills among the rushes, and the sighing of the wind among the pines, needs not wonder if his heart forgets to sing and his soul grows heavy. A day’s breathing of fresh air upon the hills, or a few hours’ ramble in the beech woods’ umbrageous calm, would sweep the cobwebs out of the brain of scores of our toiling ministers [and church members] who are now but half alive. . . . The bow cannot be always bent without fear of breaking. Repose is as needful to the mind as sleep to the body . . . It is wisdom to take occasional furlough. In the long run, we shall do more by sometimes doing less. On, on, on for ever, without recreation [read that re-creation], may suit spirits emancipated from this “heavy clay,” but while we are in this tabernacle, we must every now and then cry halt, and serve the Lord by holy inaction and consecrated leisure. Let no tender conscience doubt the lawfulness of going out of harness for a while, but learn from the experience of others the necessity and duty of taking timely rest.

So go take a hike! Find a friendly farmer who has plenty of land, and ask him for permission just to wander around the woods. Find a public park, and go take a leisurely walk at lunch. Go to the nearest river or beach and take in some quiet moments and re-orient yourself towards the Creator who is worthy of worship. Plan and schedule for some time like this if you are unable to spontaneously find time. A weekday lunch, a Saturday morning or even a Sunday afternoon will do – just not on Sunday morning! In this day and age when hustle and bustle is the norm, your soul aches to fulfill the command in Scripture – “Be still, and know that I am God!” Psalm 46:10a. Engender wonder again in life, and the Life-Giver by sitting under a clear and starry night, and read aloud Psalm 8, entering into the same awe in creation reading this Psalm, as David experienced while writing it. Now, don’t mindlessly just sit under a tree, but engage the Lord God Almighty while witnessing His handiwork. In so doing, you too may leave the woods, or sandy beach, or river bend empty-handed, but not empty-hearted.