Continuing on my vacation (see “Challenging, Inspiring, Tiring“) by leaving the blessed fellowship at church in Essex Junction, VT, I headed east to North Conway, NH, to meet my daughter and her family. I realized from road signs that I would soon be passing through Montpelier, the capital of Vermont. As an elementary school child, I was always very interested in geography, certainly because of my family’s vacations, family discussions, and National Geographics in the home. Trivia facts about places clung to me like flies on flypaper. I was always fascinated by the prospect of the Montpelier capital building dome coated in gold. I must see it I thought. As this story unfolds, you will see several examples of things that I have wanted to see or do for decades. One major one was to bag a sixer. Come along for the ride to see just what I mean by clicking on “A Fierce Mountain To Be So Short“.
Archive for June, 2024
The Reason We Went
Posted in General, Hike, Nature, Outdoors, tagged Hike, Mt. Washington, Nature, Outdoors, Sixers on June 30, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Challenging, Inspiring, Tiring
Posted in Camping, Exercise, General, Hike, Nature, Outdoors, Vacation, tagged Church Fellowship, Hiking, Nature, Outdoors on June 25, 2024| 2 Comments »
I just had the privilege of going on my first vacation in several years. Oh, I’ve taken a weekend here or there, but this trip was 10 solid days. The title represents how I have been describing it when someone asks how my vacation went. Each of those words has a double meaning to me.
Challenging can be good or bad, and it was both. I enjoy being challenged by a strenuous physical activity. I climbed two significant mountains and did other hiking. Conversely, I drove many miles and endured black flies in Maine.
The beauty of God’s creation always inspires me in two ways. We are drawn to beauty, variety, order, bigness, in a word, grandeur. The reason we are drawn to beauty is because it points us to God’s beauty, power, knowledge, creativity, and supply for us. That in turns causes me to want to worship and serve Him more and better.
Most people I talk to want a vacation to be relaxing. I smile to myself and think of the Norman Rockwell painting of the family in the car on the way to and from vacation (1). I choose to embrace the tired and take on some bucket list challenge. Afterall, you come home in order to get rest from vacation, right? My definition of vacation is an enjoyable change of pace that puts you mind at ease. That may be relaxing or strenuous, depending on your personality and physical, mental, and spiritual state. On the vacation that I am beginning here to detail, it was tiring for two reasons. I hiked 38 miles in 8 days. For an AT through hiker that is two to three days, though I say even most of them have trouble with 21 of those miles that I did. Secondly, I drove 2650 miles to get to these hikes and visit several friends and family members along the way. Being somewhat of a stats guy, that means that I drove 70 miles for every one mile that I hiked. That probably means that some of you are questioning my sanity (yes, including you, BST!), but when you have certain limits, challenges are increased. There was also a heat wave in the NE that pushed me to beat the heat with early rising, 4, 4:30, and 5 AM.
With that thorough introduction, let me begin the story of my 2024 trip to New England by you clicking on “Lackawana to Smuggler’s Notch“.
Better than Best
Posted in Blessing, Change, Contentment, General, God Thoughts, Reflection, tagged Contentment, God Thoughts, My Best, Reflection on June 5, 2024| Leave a Comment »
I was raised to do the very best at anything that I attempted. That is good and agrees with the Scripture that says, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” (Colossians 3:23-24) In context that is speaking to slaves, but it must surely include employees, and in reality, all who belong to Christ. As it says in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” We cannot do less than our best.
But my upbringing extended beyond that. I was put under considerable pressure to be really good at all that I did.
My little brain and emotions interpreted that to mean that I was supposed to be the best at whatever I did. Then, because I never seemed to meet my father’s expectations, I strove to be the best at a good many things and did not accept less than excellent or even perfect in all that I attempted. It is obvious where this is headed. I was frustrated, angry, and depressed because I didn’t meet up to my own or my perceived expectations from others. I had a deep-seated fear of being found out to be a fraud because I didn’t know how to do something.
Praise be to God that I have been rescued from the guilt and shame of that thinking. But old habits and patterns die hard. I was on a walk today, enjoying the exercise and the beauty of the view from the hill I was surmounting, when a tune came to me, Minuet in G Major by Bach. I was joyously pacing my steps by it. Then a sudden flash of sadness came across me and I felt as if tears would well up within me. I took piano lessons for seven years when I was a child, deeply desiring to succeed at it. I could in fact play quite hard pieces, but I was never able, though I try real hard, to sit down and play most hymns from a hymnbook so that others might sing along. It frustrated me that I was not really good at the piano and here all these years later there was still this tinge of regret and sorrow.
But God has been rich in His grace toward me. The next thoughts that came to my mind as I neared the top of the hill were of a thankful sort. Most of what I had desired and dreamed of attempted and pursued and trained for, frustrated over, and failed at had fallen by the wayside. In its placed He has developed other talents, pursuits, compassions, joys for which He has made me and with which He is pleased. I still try my best to do my best, but I don’t need to be the best and far less than perfect is acceptable and pleasing. I am more content with who I am and what I can do than ever in my life, and that is better than best. In those moments when I regress, I have opportunity to repent and find rest in who He has made me to be. All glory be to His name. He is a loving, patient, kind, and caring teacher and guide.
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