Follow The Map

"Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods.  Wash your spirit clean." -- John Muir

My family and I don't see mountains very often, so when we do, we love to hike mountain trails and see the beauty of God's creation from the heights.

Recently, my wife and I, with two of our children, did some hiking on the Rainbow Lake Trail on Signal Mountain near Chattanooga, Tennessee.  At the beginning of the trail, we looked at the trail map posted on a sign.  We determined that my wife (Patrice) and I would take the shorter trail to Rainbow Lake and our children, Lacey and Jon David, would take a longer trail to the same location.

We began our hike, came to the fork in the trail, and split up to follow the two different trails with the intentions of meeting in an hour or so in the designated location.

It would be several hours before we'd see one another again!

Each of us would later reflect on some of the beautiful sights that we saw while hiking, but for a while we became somewhat anxious when our parties did not meet as quickly as we had planned.

Having reached Rainbow Lake and waited a while for our children, Patrice and I decided to follow another trail to see some more sights.  We were relying on what we had remembered from the map at the trailhead.  Once we climbed high enough in elevation, we were able to text our children about our new plans.  Our children, also relying on what they remembered from the map, agreed to meet us at Edward's Point.

To make a long story short and a short hike into a long one, my wife and I were heading south while our children were headed north!

After hiking for a couple of hours and finally figuring out what we had done, Patrice and I gave up on our quest to find Edward's Point and backtracked our way to our van.  Meanwhile, Lacey and Jon David figured out their location using their cell phones and waited for us to pick them up at a road at the north end of the Prentice Cooper State Forest.

We learned several lessons from our experience: consult your map carefully (and take it with you!), don't give up, and communicate well.  We also experienced the joys of being reunited!

There are many spiritual applications of our experiences, too.

1.  Set your sights on the proper destination.  Our sights should all be set on heaven (see John 14:1-3).

2.  Follow the Map carefully.  God's Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105).

3.  There is tremendous joy in being reunited with your loved ones.  The Apostle Paul comforted some Christians with the knowledge of a great reunion with deceased loved ones in Christ when Jesus returns (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Because of Jesus, we and our loved ones can look forward to being reunited and live eternally in heaven with God (Romans 6:23).  Jesus has made this possible by dying on the cross for our sins (Romans 5:6-8).  Salvation, joyful reunion, and eternal life are promised to those who follow the Map: Jesus.  Jesus said, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).

God will save and give eternal life to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  He will continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7).

Won't YOU follow the Map (Jesus) all the way to heaven?

- David A. Sargent

David A. Sargent, Minister