The Hike That Was Not!

I haven’t written this Pastor’s Devotion blog for a couple of weeks since I was away on vacation with Kim and the family.  As we do each summer, we spent our time with Kim’s parents at “the cabin” on Lake Pleasant in the Adirondack Mountains.  Thankfully, our “kids” were able to come and spend at least part of the time with us, doing the things that they look forward to doing while there—e.g. wakeboarding, sailing, swimming, hiking, etc. 

One morning last week, we decided to do a hike we had not done before.  Rather than climb one of the mountains, we thought it would be nice to hike from one set of waterfalls to another along the Sacandaga River as was written up in a pamphlet listing various hikes in the region.  All began as planned as we drove to the trailhead, found the first set of falls and then began on the trail that would lead to the second set of falls.  However, in less than a quarter of a mile the trail led us up to the main road and stopped. We realized that the bulk of the rest of the “hike” (about 2 ½ miles) would be on the road.  Not wanting to spend our time walking along a road, we turned around quite disappointed. It became the hike that was not!

But, rather than give up and go back home, we decided to explore the river a bit heading in the other direction.  And, what we came upon was unbelievably beautiful! We discovered a section of the river that was naturally dammed up, creating a large swimming area of gently flowing water.  Thus, rather than hiking through the woods, we spent the next couple of hours swimming in one of the clearest and most beautiful pools of water.  The hike that was not had led us to one of the most incredible finds we have made in over thirty years of exploring the Adirondacks. 

It’s true that, often life brings to us some great disappointments.  Our plans lead us to dead ends; our expectations go unmet; our hearts sink as we realize life is not turning out the way we thought it would. Yet, many times those same disappointments can lead to some of life’s greatest discoveries, as God steps in and reveals to us that which we would not have otherwise known.  It is often in those times of disappointment that we come to know God in ways that we did not know him before and journey in directions that we might not have otherwise travelled.  It is often through life’s disappointments that the plans and purposes of God unfold in our lives revealing some incredible discoveries along the way. 

The Bible says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9 – NLT)

As we did on our hike that was not, I trust that you will discover some unexpected and beautiful pools of God’s blessing in the midst of the disappointments of your life.

Have a great day!

Pastor Tim Harris