A Word from Pastor Nathan

Dear Friends:

When folks go on vacation, some go to the beach, others go to the mountains. I’ve tried both, doing my best to give the sand between my bare toes and rocks lodged between the soles of my shoes an equal chance. The mountains always win. If a mountain is not nearby, a canyon will also do the trick.

Last week, I hiked the Lighthouse Trail at Palo Duro Canyon. Walking the trail is a chore—the last one-third of a mile is at a steep grade. And then you have to walk down, carefully balancing your body and weight. Good shoes are a must. This latest hike was different than in years past. The trail changed. Park rangers altered the trail so that the landscape could recover from the foot traffic. Sometimes I had a choice to go left or right. Where will the path lead, I wondered? Will I still get there, to the Lighthouse?

The poet Antonio Machado wrote:

Wanderer, your footprints are
the path, and nothing else;
wanderer, there is no path,
the path is made by walking.
Walking makes the path,
and on glancing back
one sees the path
that must never be trod again.
Wanderer, there is no path—
Just your wake in the sea.

I need a trail to get to the Lighthouse. I’m grateful for those who have walked it before me and helpful park staff who have given signposts along the way. Life comes with no such signposts. There is no map. No one has marked the trail we will take. We make the path by walking, sometimes standing still, and setting up camp for a season. Other times we move quickly, able to see what lies just beyond the horizon.

Here’s what I know to be true: We do not walk alone, not now, not ever. God is with us as we chart the path that is our life’s work. Grab some water and put on your best shoes. We’re on the journey of a lifetime.

Peace abundant,