Fearful Eagerness
Earlier this summer, in late June, Nancy and I had the
privilege and good fortune to be able to take an incredible vacation to one of
God’s true wonderlands: Yellowstone
National Park and The Grand Teton National Park. We had planned it for a long time, and the trip
was off and on and then off and on again as our finances took various turns
over the last couple of years. But, in
the end, God blessed us with an opportunity to both escape the usual pressures
of our careers and also enjoy some of the most spectacular scenery that He has created
anywhere in the world.
We flew to Salt Lake City where we rented a car and then
drove on up to the Wyoming. Staying
inside the park, we journeyed each day to another part of the area; taking in
as much of the variety as possible in the one week we had for the
adventure. We explored the natural
wonders of geysers, hot springs, mountain lakes, and beautiful green valleys. We watched trout spawning in a small
stream. We watched the Bison roam, and
the antelope play. Eagles, elk, owls,
ground squirrels, and bear.
And we hiked.
Nearly every day, we took a good hike or two. One day was extra special because two of our
good friends, Brian & Becky flew in and spent the day hiking with us in the
Grand Teton National Park. We hiked out
and around a couple of lakes, getting rained on, hailed on, and enjoying the
overwhelming wonders of that mesmerizing mountain range.
However, we saved our best hike for our last day. We started off hiking along the rim of the
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone…with lots of other people around. Feeling good.
Feeling safe. But eventually, we
hiked far enough out that the crowds became scarce, and then we took a turn
into the back country to make a large loop back to our vehicle. It was at that turn that it hit us.
The fearful eagerness.
You see, Yellowstone is truly wild. 90% of the people who visit that vast
wilderness park do not range more than a half mile from the road. The animals truly own the place. And, some of those animals wouldn’t mind
having you for a snack.
So, there we were…ready to make that turn that we knew would
take us in to the truly wild country. We
were so eager to see what was out there.
To see what we could see. To see
what 90% of the other visitors would never see.
But, even with that bear spray strapped to my belt, there was a streak
of anxiousness…fearfulness that wrapped around us like a rope. We had our doubts: Maybe
we shouldn’t go on. It was just the two
of us, instead of being in a group of at least three like the park service
recommended. Perhaps it wouldn’t be
safe, and we should just turn around and backtrack. We were eager, but fear was right there with
us.
After talking it over for a few
anxious minutes, we decided to go for it; to forge ahead with the adventure! Folks, I am so very happy that we did!
And, in reality it was the fear that made that hike just all
that much more exciting and worthwhile!
But, that was early in the summer. Before Kent’s illness, and before Ebola
became so real to us at Southeastern.
Before we witnessed God using harsh, raw situations to touch people’s
hearts. Before we saw Him use a terrible
disease to change us, and change others.
Before He used an illness in a young doctor and an obscure sermon given
in his home church to reach into the hearts of thousands—famous and average,
white collar and blue collar, young and old.
Have no doubt about it! God is at
work!
And, that makes me feel that same feeling that I felt on
that trail in Yellowstone: fearfully eager. I'm eager to see what God is going to do next, but I'm a tad fearful of what that will mean. I’m not the first.
Daniel at the edge of the lions’ den.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego at the door to the furnace. Esther in the hall of the king. Jesus in Gethsemane.
Each felt the fear.
Each could have turned back. Each
forged on ahead.
Make no mistake friends.
The world is a royal mess right now, but God is up to something! I can feel it tingling up my spine and
looping around my gut…that rope of fearful eagerness. I don’t know where this is going to take
me. Or you. And I don’t know how much sacrifice will be
required. Like Daniel, I don’t know in
advance if the lion is going to devour or embrace. I don’t know in advance if the furnace is
going to burn me or not. And, Jesus did
die…as did Stephen, and James, and Peter, and Paul.
But, in the end, the victory
belonged to all of those biblical heroes, and it will belong to us as well. God ensures that victory. And, perhaps… if we don’t turn back…if we
head on out into that wild country that God is leading us into, we just might see
some mesmerizing wonder of God that most people will miss. And that tinge of fearfulness will only make
the adventure all that much more exciting.
Do you have your hiking boots
on?
Mike
PS: I visited Alice
Fay Brown in the hospital tonight, and she told me to say “hello” to everyone
for her! So, I told her that I'd put it in the blog and make her famous. She told me to make sure I spelled her name correctly. (How'd I do, Alice?)
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