Adventure 2015-Part 1

Before heading off on the Adventure

This summer our family had the pleasure of planning, and then going on, an adventure. It isn't the first we've gone on, and Lord willing it won't be our last. My husband loves adventures. He's been fulfilling his love of adventuring for years, and it gives him such pleasure to now be taking his family. As his family, the boys and I love experiencing all that he plans. The adventures we've been on thus far have been very planned out and prayed over. Food, shelter, and safety are all the things that he considers, and thus far he's done an amazing job at planning down to the last detail, and the adventure is amazing because of his thoughtfulness. This adventure was no different. Certainly it was more challenging because of the length, as well as what he'd planned for us during this adventure.

The plan for this one was to go to hike in to Duffy Lake and set up base camp. Base camp included the Tajmatent, a kitchen, a laundry line, a food line (to make sure we didn't get crittered), and a fishing gear station. The day after we hiked in the plan was to bushwack to the Pacific Coast Trail at the base of Three-Fingered Jack, climb up and down the mountain, bushwack down to Santiam lake to water up, and then find and hike the train back to Duffy Lake. The next day the plan was to chill by Duffy, fish, and rest our sore and tired muscles, and then the following day to hike out and meet up with grandparents at Black Butte. The plan. The master plan. It took much planning to work out sleep, food, safety, and then stuff like a rubber raft, climbing gear...and put it into four packs while the while being reasonable weight wise. I mean, the youngest is 6 1/2 for pete's sake. He's not a little guy for 6 1/2, but he's not hercules (although I'm pretty sure he think's he is).

Before heading off on our adventure this summer, we had some clear ideas of what we wanted to accomplish. We'd never done this long of a trip before, and we certainly had never climbed a mountain. 

Base Camp

Before we even begun to pack, before we walked out the front door, before we left our car and headed off into the woods, we could have decided that this wasn't what we wanted to do. We could have decided that the things we'd planned were too difficult, or that it wasn't worth the hardship. What we gained from the experience was absolutely priceless, and the views we saw were worth any hardship. One of the lessons I learned from this experience is that I always have a choice to take a challenge or not, and I will always gain wisdom and experience from the challenge, or not. I could have said, "No. I don't think I want to go." I would have not known the difference, but I would have missed so much. There is so much in life that is challenging, but unless we say yes to all that the hardship means, we won't take from it what God has planned for us.

The picture below was taken the morning after we arrived. I walked down to the lake to pump water for the day's adventure, and this beautiful sight met me. This lake is always here. It is always declaring the glory of the Lord. I'm so thankful to have said yes to this adventure so I could partake of this glory. I wonder how many times I've said no to something the Lord would have me do, something hard, and I've missed seeing Him work? I wonder how many times I've missed seeing His glory? I want the answer on my lips to be yes. I want to not shrink back from the hard, but to seek out God's glory in the midst of it. I want the hard to draw me closer to Him, to lean on His mighty strength, and to experience Him at work in me. His thoughts and ways are so much higher than mine (Isaiah 55), and His ways are always for my good (Romans 8). Even the hard ones. I'm so thankful for this adventure and the way it stretched me and our family. We are closer and stronger for it. And we climbed a mountain. It takes my breath away every time I think about it. More about that later...

Early Morning Fog on Duffy Lake

Surrender Doesn't Mean Defeat

Psalm 26:1-3
"Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for Your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.

Psalm 56:1-4
"Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack. My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride. When I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

Psalm 86:1-4 (But read the whole thing later)
"Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul."

Psalm 116:1-9
"I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy. Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: 'O Lord, save me!' The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. The Lord protects the simple hearted; when I was in great need, He saved me. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. For You, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living."

Psalm 146:1-3 (But PLEASE read the whole thing later)
"Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save."

1 Peter 4:19
"So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good."

Today in my study of Psalms I started in chapter 26. I read that and immediately was convicted. I have not led a blameless life. No way. No one has. In the study notes (Ryrie) it says "blameless life...sincerity of purpose and single-hearted devotion, not sinlessness." Okay. Well, sincerity of purpose and single-hearted devotion is definitely something that I crave and want. I thought about the things and desires that are pulling me in all sorts of directions right now. There are several activities I'd love to devote my time to thinking and praying about and DOING, but they have to be put on the back burner because of the things in front of my face that require my time and energy. My attention has been split. My devotion has been split. Now, the verse in 1 Peter. Suffering. There is very little in my life I'd consider suffering, especially when I consider those around the world who lack for so many things, or are being persecuted. No. I'm not suffering. However, to continue doing good does take self-control, patience. It takes saying no to my flesh and saying yes to the Holy Spirit. Surrender. I love how the ESV version states the verse in 1 Peter. Instead of "commit themselves," it uses the verb entrust. We entrust ourselves to our Creator. The Psalms I read today all speak of looking to God, entrusting ourselves to God. It talks about how God listens when we cry and of His trustworthiness, and His faithfulness.

Recently my husband and I have been working on a mammoth project outside. We're clearing out a lot of brush, limbs of trees, ivy, blackberries. It is a hot, dirty, hard job. At first it was very difficult to be motivated to jump in and participate. As I've surrendered to the plan (entrusting my soul to my Creator...that sounds so lofty, so heroic) I have found peace, and I've found that God has provided me with strength to work until the boss says it's quittin' time. I have found that I even have joy in the middle of the sticks, stickers, and dirt. Joy!! It is dirty joy, but joy all the same. Psalms 116 and 146 so perfectly state what my heart encounters when I surrender. I have also found that as I've laid out my desires in ministry, I have peace, knowing that God will work out the details and the timing.

What does surrender look like in your life? What do you get in exchange for trusting God?

Do I trust God?

Psalm 22

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O God I cry out by day but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent." "Yet, you are enthroned in heaven as the Holy One…”

The precious words of Christ. While the wrath of the Father was being poured out on Him, as He carried the sins of the world on His shoulders. He walked to the cross trusting the power of God. Never doubted. Never wondered like I do. God proved Himself to be trustworthy because Christ rose again. He came back to life. Yet His soul, my soul, cries out. Do I really entrust myself to God? While I'm NOT in the thick of the hard thing...yes. While I'm in the thick of the hard thing and my emotions are high and there's tension, t's harder to stand with strength and say that same yes. HOWEVER, God is enthroned in heaven as the Holy One. No matter what is going on in life, His character remains, His holy intentions are the same. Regardless of my emotions, He is who He is.

How are you entrusting yourself and your circumstances to God, as Christ did?