I’m currently in the middle of listening to an audiobook on one woman’s through-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail—the 2,650-mile path from the California-Mexican border to the Washington-Canadian border.
The author-hiker shares innumerable difficulties, hardships, dangers, injuries, fears, and failures along the journey. Imagine having to run along the trail with a pack on your back to try to stay ahead of the mosquitos. Or trudging through the tree-less California desert in 100-degree heat. Or developing tendonitis so painful you can’t walk…but have to. Or being a day away from your resupply town and all you have to eat is a handful of almonds and part of a beef jerky stick. Or running out of water with thirteen miles to the next water source. At this point in my listening, she’s just south of the California-Oregon border with about 1600 miles behind her…1000 to go.
The non-hiker would hear all this and wonder, “What in the world are you doing?!?! WHY???” I enjoy hiking and would even like to do a month-long through-hike, but a few times I shook my head and wondered, “Would I keep going??”
But then she made a statement in this morning’s listen. By the way, I catch 25-minute segments while taking my morning 2-mile walk—makes my meager effort seem like a cakewalk! Anyway, she was going through a rough patch, dealing with some kind of stomach issue for days while hiking difficult terrain. Normally, as one might imagine, her head would be filled with all manner of negative, self- and hike-defeating thoughts. She might even verbalize them to herself plodding along the trail. Five or six hundred miles earlier she sure did.
But not now.
The way she put it, she didn’t have any more negative things to think or say. Over the previous 1500 miles, everything negative that could be thought had been thought, or that could be said had been said…or screamed! The mind now was clear of all that.
Just keep walking.
Heads abuzz
My guess is that nearly everyone reading this has a head full of stuff and the thoughts are buzzing like a bees’ nest.
Is there anyone in the United States that doesn’t have the fiasco of Afghanistan on their mind? Who isn’t concerned about the ineptitude in Washington? Or the corresponding rising threat to America by terrorists and traditional enemies—Russia, China, North Korea…? Certainly it’s not only Texans and Arizonans bothered that the 1-million-plus illegal aliens have crossed the southern border so far this year. How about inflation? Rising gas prices? Out-of-control crime rate, especially in big cities like Chicago? The new-fangled racism touted as “Critical Race Theory” being foisted upon public school kids? Mandated vax jabs—or lose your job? The frontal assault on anyone silly enough to believe there are but two genders? Dramatic polarization has divided nearly every social institution—even many churches!
What am I missing?
It’s all a bit overwhelming, isn’t it?
Which of the above can you hear about on cable news or read in the newspaper or get an update from a friend and not have some kind of negative thought? Even as I write, the news channels and internet are blowing up with word that the last US plane has flown out of Kabul and scores of Americans have been left behind—ripe picking for terrorist hostage takers.
I remember in the early days of the COVID crisis getting to the point that I quit watching the news and severely limited any social media consumption because it drastically affected my ability to “walk”! I’m about to that point again, yet there are so many serious issues going on!
I recently spoke with three different individuals who quite possibly will lose their job because they won’t take the jab. My intent is not to debate these things. The individuals I’ve spoken to are educated, smart people who’ve done tons of research and come to reasoned conclusions. Two are in the medical profession. The mandates pronounced from on high have serious, life-altering implications for so many people! Serious indeed.
Thinking about these things, and how we think about them, definitely affects our “walk.”
- We can feel a sense of dread or despair.
- When needing to focus on a task at hand, our thoughts easily wander to some “what-if.”
- A pit develops in the stomach because of some non-specific fear.
- Countless hours glued to the news and commentary consume our evenings—and maybe our days!
- We grieve over loss—of lives, liberties, and/or the pursuit of happiness.
- Hope that things will improve eludes us—regardless of what the people who think they run the show say.
I’m sure you could add to the list.
And yet we have to keep walking…and walking well.
How?!
Guidance from the Apostle Paul comes to mind, found in the letter he wrote to the Philippians. Remember the context of his writing. Confined to a Roman prison, facing an unknown fate, held by government forces that had no patience with Christians, in an empire that was quickly moving toward an official policy of absolute hostility toward Christianity, Paul wrote,
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about THESE things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice THESE things, and the God of peace will be with you. [emphasis mine]
Philippians 4:8-9
What a challenge!
When it comes to thinking about “what is true,” for example, have you ever in your life found it more difficult to figure out what the actual truth is coming out of Washington? Clearly, Paul isn’t talking about the headlines in the Empire Gazette!
Nor is he suggesting we live with our heads in the sand, ignoring the reality of life in this fallen, chaotic world. Instead, I believe, he’s addressing what fills our minds, what we ruminate on, that ends up driving our decisions, our attitudes, our treatment of others, our spending habits, our hopes…. In other words, how we live our everyday lives.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve discovered—especially in the last couple of weeks—how easily the plethora of bad news has tended to impact my life after I turn off the news. It’s a problem of what I’m thinking about, right? With great effort, I’ve had to turn my attention elsewhere—not only on truth, but honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, praiseworthy truth. And that lifts me out of the mire to practice the things I ought to be practicing.
Certainly, so much more could be said than this brief reflection, but at least it’s a start in the right the direction.
So, with this as a start, let’s just keep walking….
