I went hiking in the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) of Michigan with my middle daughter. She asked me a while ago if I wanted to go hiking and camping in the U.P. I told her I would be willing to camp 1 night in a tent. I know for you campers that is not a big deal, but for me that was a big deal. (My hips told me for about 5 days after how big of a deal it was.) So we left the house on Friday morning at 4:30 a.m. We arrived to our destination and began our hike by 11:00 a.m. We hiked the Lakeshore North Country trail for about 15 miles and ended at a campsite in Grand Marais. The view was breathtaking. The companionship was wonderful. The memories we made were priceless. The endurance I had amazed me. We brought our dehydrated meals in pouches and my daughter brought a little pot with a little propane heater to heat the water. I was so spoiled, I even had a cup of tea as we watched the sun set over Lake Superior.
It was an amazing trip. It was a much needed trip. I wouldn’t say that 30 miles of hiking in 2 days and sleeping on the ground in a tent with the movie “Back to the Future” blaring until midnight a vacation, but getting away from life for 2 days to gaze in fullness at God’s creation was something that my soul needed.
I found my worship in church so much richer.
I found my perspective a bit deeper.
I found my desire “to be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
Jesus knew how to be Mary and Martha both. He knew how to sit and worship His Father, disciple His disciples, and heal the many who followed Him. He had the perfect balance of worship and work, and His work always pointed to His Father.
I long for this balance.
As I was hiking, I was often meditating on Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God.” Why do I need to be so busy? So often, I get my identity from all that I do. I am a nurse. I am a real estate agent. I am a counselor. I am a puppy raiser…
Is it enough to say “I am a Child of God?” I try to get my value and my worth from the titles I wear. God in His graciousness has allowed me to be part of His story, but am I always taking the pen? Am I trying to write in my version of the story by getting my value and worth from these titles rather than from my Savior who shed His blood for me?
The most important roles in my life are wife and mother. I never want to be so busy with all the other things I do that the ones I love best miss out on my best.
So what did I learn while hiking 30 miles and sleeping on the hard ground and taking countless pictures and marveling over and over at the beauty that surrounded me? I learned that life is short, and I need to live it to the fullest doing the things that are most meaningful and always taking time for the people in my life. The question is how will I live that out?
How do I make a living and still have time to be still? What do I say no to and what do I say yes to? I feel like it is harder now than it was when the girls were smaller. I long to be a Mary and a Martha. I long to walk as Jesus walked and not get hung up proving who I am.
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