Just Getting Away.....

For many of us, the wilderness holds a delight like no other.  The fresh air, being away from the pressures of the modern world, and the sights and sounds of the natural environment is like a healing balm.  Sometimes, we just need to get away and immerse ourselves in the shimmering sunlight as it spreads it’s delight through the leaves of the trees and scatters it’s joy across the wide, open spaces.  Or, to lay in a tent, hammock or natural shelter, or even just under the stars, and enjoy the cooling, refreshing evenings away from the bright lights and demanding screens of our lives. To wake up on a foggy morning and sit by a small fire, sipping a hot drink while the song birds and the whole world begins to stir and come alive for a whole, brand new day of adventure, is a privilege that we so seldom get to experience.

Like so many of you, I have a busy modern life with a family and responsibilities that needs much of my attention on a daily basis.  And, I love the life that God has given me!  But, I often look to the hills and the deserted places, with a deep longing to explore the peaks, valleys, and the winding streams, to catch fish in those babbling brooks, to set up a camp in some seldom-visited spot and just take a break for a while.  And, inevitably, when I am able to do just that, I am able to emerge from the wilderness with a renewed sense of vigor, of purpose, of my calling.

I know that many of you hunt and fish and enjoy your outdoor activities as much as I do.  That’s perhaps why you are even reading this blog post.  But, I would like to pose a question for you.

Why do we take so little time for renewal, when it does us so much good?

As a Christian, Jesus is my Saviour and my example.  When He was about 30 years old, He began His public ministry that lasted for approximately 3 1/2 years.  It is a truth that His work was the most important work ever done by Humankind.  Yet, in spite of the great importance of His Calling, and the needs of the sick and the dying who were crying out for His Healing Touch, and the fact that the whole world needed a Saviour who could forgive them of their sins, Jesus often took time to get alone and went into the wilderness to pray, rest and re-connect with His Father.  He encouraged His Disciples to do the same.  “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert (deserted, wilderness) place and rest awhile…” Mark 6:31a.

Many of the great men of the Bible were men who came out of the wilderness or who often inhabited wilderness areas.  Moses, Elijah, King David, John the Baptist just to name a few.  Many of our Nation’s founding fathers and heroes were also frontiersman and wilderness explorers.  George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone etc.  These and many others blazed a path before us and they still have much to teach us.  When life gets tough and you feel drained, get away for a while into the wilderness!  After all, God didn’t create us to live in an artificially lighted, concrete and digital environment, He made us to live outdoors, in a garden!  When we are too long disconnected from the natural world,  it is easy to get disconnected from what is truly important in life.  So, stop making excuses, start making plans, pack your kit or your pack and get out there and enjoy the world God has made for you!  All that demanding stuff will still be there when you return, but you will come back refreshed, renewed and ready to tackle the problems head on.  Sometimes you just need to get away into a deserted place for a while.

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James B