Hiking

God’s Protection

If you are like me, you are quick to complain when things go wrong. I don’t always vocalise these grumbles but God must be only too aware of my grumbling heart.

God’s eternal care really came home to me on our recent trip to Tasmania. God reminded me that He takes care of me all the time. Even when I am oblivious. I am always “in his grip” (as a fellow blogger describes himself).

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Narcissus Bay, Lake St. Clair, Tasmania

After a strenuous hike my wife and I pitched our hiking tent in, what seemed at the time, a suitable location. We slept there that night. At one point in the middle of the night I left the tent to take care of “necessities”. The following morning as my wife was making breakfast I packed up the tent. A short while later a fellow hiker, whom we had met a day earlier, passed through and said “Hi”. After a chat she continued on her way. A few seconds later we heard a scream. We jumped up and ran to find out what was going on. Our hiker friend had spied a black snake.  When she described where it had come from and where it had gone she pointed to where we had pitched our tent that night as its place of origin.

As danger lurked around us we were ignorant. On how many other occasions in my life has that happened?

I only grumble about the problems and struggles that I see, but how much more should my life be a hymn of praise for all the blessings, protection and care that God bestows moment by moment!

Categories: christian, Christianity, Devotional, Faith, Hiking, Tasmania, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | 3 Comments

Walking

DSC_0288I have been walking most of my life. I believe I was about 10 months old when I took my first step but it has been only in recent years that my wife and I have taken up walking as a pastime – hiking.

Over the last week and a half we have been doing a lot of day walks and one overnight stay. We clocked up quite a few kilometres. Apart from the obvious physical benefits there are many others as well.

Personally, the most amazing revelation is the beauty of creation from the smallest flower to the largest tree and from a ferned gully to a majestic mountains and cliffs. One’s heart cannot fail to declare, “O Lord our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth.” That is reinforced when out in the blackness of the bush at night away from city light pollution; the numbers of stars in the sky is breathtaking.

As a couple another benefit is time together. We don’t talk the whole time but we can simply enjoy each other’s company away from the hurly burly of life. In some places we walked we wouldn’t see other people for many hours. We had to like each other because there was no one else. We can sometimes become so busy we fail to acknowledge the importance of those around us. Walking is an antidote to that condition.

But there is also time time to reflect within yourself. It is a good time for a personal audit of your priorities, relationships, faith, work and life in general. One can stop, breath and be reminded why God has placed us on the earth in the first place.

My knees and ankles are, for the moment, thanking me that I have stopped. The problem with taking up serious walking later in life  is that body is in a state of shock – for days.

Categories: christian, Devotional, Faith, Hiking, Walking | Tags: , , , | 2 Comments

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