Being Prepared For God
I’ve always been a solo hiker. That’s what originally drew me to hiking...the opportunity to be alone with my own thoughts and feelings and fears. To face new challenges and push my limits. Setting myself up for success in the face of any and every possibility. My pack was perfect: Headlamp, snacks, water, extra layers, socks, rain layer, band-aids, knife, lighter..
But I spent the past summer conquering trails with a hiking partner. It was fun to move at a different pace, swap stories as we went, and share snacks along the way. And there’s something special about hitting a summit, looking at a friend and smiling that knowing smile - “We did this thing.”
A few weeks ago, I set out on a sunrise solo hike. And my headlamp died halfway to the summit.
The “old” me would have been prepared with an extra headlamp or batteries. But this “new” me - the one who had hiked with a partner for three months - had gotten complacent. I had fallen into a rhythm of trusting my partner to have back-up supplies if my preparations were inadequate. And as a result, I was halfway up a mountain at 4 am without a reliable lightsource.
As I precariously crawled over a slabby rock section of the trail, I couldn’t help but mentally berate myself for failing to prepare. And as I continued hiking by moonlight (pulling out my phone when the trees were too thick), I wondered how this had happened.
Over the summer, I grew reliant on the presence of a hiking partner. If I forgot something, I knew that he would either have the missing item or we’d figure out a solution together. I forgot how to prepare myself for these endeavors and every possible risk.
I wondered...does that happen in our relationship with God? Do we ever depend on others to walk with us into a relationship with God?
We expect pastors to tell us what to read in the Bible. We look to our friends for opinions on current events, politics and pop culture. We depend on a worship team to lead us into worship.
But what happens if we take all of that away? What does it look like for you to read your Bible and learn what it means in your life? How do you develop your own opinions (maybe different from your parents, your friends and your church) on issues like abortion and movies and working moms? And how do you worship God when there isn’t a three part melody and repeating chorus?
Our church and our community should support us in experiencing relationships with God. But, we can’t expect that to be enough.
Prepare your heart
God doesn’t want or need anything from us. We can go to him drenched in sin and he will accept us, love us, and clean us up. That’s the beauty of grace. But grace is a key part of this.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” -Ephesians 2:8-10
My friend, if you approach God with the mentality that you are totally prepared (like my hiking pack with everything from batteries to bandaids), you are far from prepared. He doesn’t care if you have all of your pieces together. He wants you to be willing to let him do a work in you for his glory (Philippians 1). So part of going to him, is shedding yourself of that mentality...know that you’re not going to be completely prepared. And trust him to have the extra batteries or headlamp. Or, just to take care of you.
Depend on Him
Over and over again, the Bible assures us that God will take care of us - Psalm 62, Matthew 6, Luke 11, Philippians 4. We are his creation and he values our joy and well-being. So when you think it’s up to you to have the answers and to have it all figured out and to always be completely prepared, take a breath. Rest easy knowing that he will have it together.
Balancing the two
Once, I went on a short day hike with a friend who was carrying a solar reflective blanket, three packages of tissues, and several packages of nutrition crackers. Practical items for longer, more extensive hikes. But for our 6 mile trek, these items did nothing but add weight to an already over-packed backpack.
Approaching God with a humble and ready heart falls somewhere between “forgetting extra batteries for a sunrise hike” and “carrying a solar reflective blanket on a day hike.” Those are two extremes that represent “failure to prepare” and “obsessive/overpreparation”.
For each person, finding that balance will be unique. My personal path in my relationship with God will look different from yours. If you’re struggling to find the right balance for your relationship with God, here are some things you might try:
Memorize scripture.
Chat with God in really small moments (like when you’re waking up in the morning).
Ask your friends how they’re experiencing God.
Spend time outside observing and appreciating God’s creation.
Talk with some kids about how cool God is.
Pray for other people.
Like I said, there’s no magical formula to help you develop a deeper, more purposeful relationship with God. It is a personal experience that you can only figure out the more time you spend with him.
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. “- Hebrews 4:16
A note: Based on my knowledge of the trail (extensive), the moonlight (it was quite full), cloud coverage (light) the weather conditions (warm, clear skies), and my experience...I decided to complete the trail. If one or more of these factors had been different, I would have made a completely different decision. If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, please consider all of these factors before putting yourself at risk. Happy trails :)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mary Elizabeth spent the past six years doing life in Nashville, TN…from grad school to working in a pie shop to running after school programs. But then she got a little antsy. She’s currently in a season of “wandering”…exploring the people, tastes and experiences that the country has to offer. As she set out on this journey her hope was to engage with people in more authentic ways and to hike everything possible.