OUTDOOR TRUTHS: Leaving the confines of what you know
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By Gary Miller
I’ve never been much for hiking even though some of my friends love it. And I feel the same way about camping. I’ve often said if I’m camping, there needs to be a hunting or fishing trip involved somewhere. Otherwise, I would prefer a weekend getaway in a condo and breakfast at Cracker Barrel. That idea goes for hiking as well. When I walk through the woods, I can’t help but continually scout for signs of animals I may want to hunt. I can’t imagine just walking through the woods to get to a place that has no hunting or fishing value. But this is just me. I have, however, even had to change how I view more adventurous hunting and fishing trips. At my age, I’m not too fond of rock pillows and sleeping bags. I like to sleep and wake up without unnecessary aches and pains. So, a week in the wilderness, even when the fishing is great, does not have the same appeal it used to. My mind is still in it. My heart is still in it. My spirit of adventure is still hot. And I’m in pretty good shape for my age. But I guess I’ve really gotten used to security and comfort. This also scares me.
The last thing I want to do in my Christian life is default to security and comfort. I’ve seen it too many times over the years. It seems the older people get they are less likely to allow God to challenge their walk of faith. They are no longer eager to hike to the top of an uncomfortable mountain and camp at the cliff of insecurity. I want to be like Caleb. He was only one of two men who stood with Moses in encouraging his people to enter the Promised Land despite the presence of difficulties. But it isn’t the young Caleb I want to be like; it’s the old one. It’s the one who, after forty years of wandering through the desert, finally crossed into that land and asked for his portion of the property to be a mountain. But it was not just any mountain; it was the one that was inhabited by the ancestors of the giant Goliath. Here’s the request that Caleb made to Joshua. “Now, as you can see, the LORD has kept me alive and well as he promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise – even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. So, I’m asking you to give me the hill country that the LORD promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the Anakites living there in great, walled cities. But if the LORD is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the LORD said.” (Joshua 14:10–12 NLT)
My friend, ask God for a hill. No matter what your age. Ask Him to never allow you to be satisfied with faithless security and comfort. You may have to leave the safe confines of what you know, but if the Lord is with you…
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■ Gary has written the Outdoor Truths article for 20 years. He has also written four books which include compilations of his articles and a father/son devotional. He also speaks at wild-game dinners and men’s events for churches and associations.
