Lost

I love being in the woods. There is just something about the possibility of knowing that I could be the first person in history to be stepping on a spot or seeing a sight. The more remote it is, the more I like it. And, I love to hike. I was an Eagle Boy Scout growing up and learned about living in the outdoors at an early age.

I have some close friends who I go camping with regularly. Sometimes it is just to camp for a weekend and sometimes it involves several days of hunting. When hunting, it is sometimes dark or near dark when we return to camp.

One memorable year, one of my friends and I were hunting in the San Bois foothills of Southeastern Oklahoma. Those hills are sometimes steep and the pine trees are numerous, making for some beautiful scenery. Our camp was near a stream, close to a dirt road. It was pretty cold that weekend, so we had gathered plenty of firewood to cook and keep us warm during the night.

After sitting still for a couple of hours that afternoon, watching for deer, I started to get restless and decided to walk around for a while. I had hunted these hills for quite a few years and felt like I knew my way around fairly well and I was confident in knowing directions out there. After walking for a while, I heard some movement in the woods, so I sat down to see what I could. Although I never saw an animal, I could hear it. So, I waited and waited. Finally, near dark, I realized that it was only an armadillo scooting through the dead leaves on the ground. Disappointed to say the least.

Not knowing how far I had wandered from camp, I decided to make my way back in that direction. Because of numerous gas wells in the area, there are multiple roads and trails carved into the hills. I found myself in the dark and not really sure of my location. So, I began to walk in the direction that I thought our camp might be. The farther I walked, the darker it got. My flashlight would only show what was right in front of me, so I decided to climb to the top of the closest hill to see if I recognized any landmarks, even if it was dark. But, the trees were thick and made visiblilty difficult.

I finally came to an opening that I thought would give me a good view around. At once, I noticed a light flickering below me so I moved between the trees to see what it was. All at once, I could see it well. It was a campfire at the bottom of the hill. It was not a small fire, but a very tall fire and could be easily seen from the top of that hill I was standing on. I knew that my friend had started a fire at our camp, and as usual, he likes making huge fires.

At that moment, I knew where I needed to go. I was lost until I saw the light of that fire. Nobody had to tell me where that fire was. The fire showed me where it was and I knew that it was the direction that I needed to go. The way back to camp became simple.

I realized years later that my spiritual life is exactly the same way. There are many people walking around in darkness every day, looking for direction in their life. Some don’t even realize how lost they really are. Some know that they are lost, but think that they can find their own way. And, others are lost and are looking for a way to get back to a peaceful way of life.

That weekend, I realized that I need to be that fire…not just a small fire, but a large fire that can be seen from far away. I don’t have to tell people that I am on fire for God. The fire will show itself to those around me. This challenged me to build my fire bigger, to make sure that it burns bright enough that people come to me for direction and safety. I hope that it challenges you as well.