Today, I was late to meet up with my ladies’ hiking group. I misjudged the travel time to the trail, and I was so late, I never actually found my group, even though the trail was a loop. But I went hiking anyway.
You won’t be surprised to discover that this author, like many others, is an introvert, and it’s possible that I needed time alone to recharge. I took photos that I probably wouldn’t have taken, if I’d been trying to keep up with a group, and I had time to daydream about silly things I never would have thought about, if I’d been trying to maintain a conversation with a walking buddy.
Don’t get me wrong: I love my ladies’ hiking group! Those smart, energetic ladies always teach me something. I grow as a person each time I glean from their wisdom. It’s just that on this particular day, my energy level was so low, I needed to put my brain on sleep mode and just soak up the green and the sun and the fresh air. I needed to remember that the world is huge, and I’m just little me.
Along the way, the trail taught me a lesson about perspectives. The lesson was this: You can find whatever you choose to look for.
For example, when a crime thriller author hikes alone, she tends to discover crime scenes. I bet I found a few that normal people would have missed. Observe this crime scene.
Can anyone ID the victim? Maybe it’ll help to find the assailant.
What about this next one? You can clearly see the victim was crawling and reaching for the path, where it hoped to find help, when it’s head was chopped off. Then, the head was carried away, either as the perp’s trophy or as a wild animal’s dinner. Not sure.
Finally, these are the sole remains of our third victim in the woods. What on earth happened here? (Seriously, I looked around, and these pieces don’t go with anything nearby.)
If you look for dark, gloomy, horrible things, you can find them absolutely anywhere! Even on a nature hike on a sunny, perfect day! I did.
What kind of world would we live in, though, if we all looked for community? For signs of goodness in one another? For a higher purpose to sufferings, big and small? Would we find those things everywhere, too?
Well, yes and no. I think it’s harder to find the light. There are a lot of shadows competing for space. Sometimes, from where you’re standing, the sun is completely out of sight. After all, we’re very little compared to the world.
You can still tell there’s a sun, though. You can even tell roughly which leaves the sun is hiding behind. Look at all that light!
As I work through editing the manuscript for Amid the Clouds, sequel to Collared, I’m thinking through how to make God’s presence shine for you, the hikers taking this next trail with me. I want this book to be an experience that impresses on your heart the conviction that God has a purpose for every little episode of your life: The bad first dates, the missed opportunities, the aimless feeling of wandering, the failures and disappointments, the dreams that weren’t meant to be, and the loved ones we’ve lost along the way.
I’d like to hold your hand while your heart heals a little more. I’d like to be that other tree turning into soil alongside you. We can become fertile ground for the next seeds to come our way. We can be community.
Suffering can lead to new life, but I believe that the transition requires a choice in favor of community. Are you suffering alone, or do you know someone who is isolating themselves out of pain? Drop me a line, and I’ll add it to my prayer list. I’m always happy to hear from readers, especially about how my writing has impacted you. Contact me.