by Sue Pearson
I have this amazing woman friend who is still on television at age 65. Of course, she looks great, but it is her competence as a meteorologist and her personal presence that continue to attract TV news managers and viewers. She and I became friends nearly 40 years ago when I accepted a job as reporter for the local NBC affiliate. Back then, she was the “weather girl.” Today she is not only a meteorologist but accomplished in so many other areas: a master gardener, sports expert, marathon runner, dog rescuer, piano player, skier, and the list goes on.
Kristine and I both love the outdoors, so instead of meeting for lunch, we made plans for a hike in an area we had never visited before. Hidden Falls Park is in the foothills near Auburn, California. We met in the parking lot there and started our trek, talking and catching up with one another along the way. Kristine and I are well aware of the self-control we put into our careers, making things happen, forcing our goals to be realized. In these more recent years, we have talked about letting go of that control to let God take the lead. But going with the flow takes practice, and our desire to control was habitual. We both were working on this but found we reverted to our old ways all too often. Our hiking experience at Hidden Falls turned out to be an incredible lesson.
We began our walk at the trailhead, which took us along a creek. The trail turned many times over wooden bridges, but there was always a creek next to us. We walked and talked for an hour, admiring the waterfalls along the way and the beautiful lush foliage of the park. An hour out and an hour back. It was time to head back. Before we turned around, I told Kristine I thought the creek was flowing a different direction than when we first started. How could that be? First flowing north and now flowing south. Neither of us accepted this clue that perhaps we were not where we thought we were. Kristine said she was sure she knew the way back.
“Just follow me!” my confident friend said.
An hour later, we knew we had made a mistake because we were on an unfamiliar path. We tried retracing our steps only to become more confused. Kristine picked a different fork in the trail, telling me, “I’m positive this is the way back to the trailhead.”
Kristine is quite an experienced hiker so, I was happy to let her lead the way. We found the creek again and felt relieved to be on our way to the parking lot. By now, we had been walking for three hours, and a bit of fatigue was setting in. Half an hour later, we reached a fork in the trail with several paths in front of us. We had no idea where we were because no such fork presented itself when we began our hike. My confident, competent friend reached her breaking point. Her lips quivered, and tears started to flow.
“Sue, I can’t believe I’ve gotten us so lost. I’m sorry. I’m looking at these paths, and I don’t have a clue which to take. Can you take over now?”
I looked at the paths and said, “I thought staying along the creek would lead us back, but it isn’t. It’s like we’re in an alternate reality, and I’m as lost as you.”
“Well then, just pick any path,” she said with a tremble in her voice. “I’m done.”
I was quiet for a few moments and then said, “There might be another way. The one thing we have not done is to ask God to help us. Would you be open to a prayer right now?”
“OK,” she said, “We’ve tried this on our own and failed miserably.”
We bowed our heads while I prayed out loud for God’s help. “Kristine and I were so sure of our directions today, and we were wrong every time. We are tired now and still as lost as we were three and a half hours ago. We are ready to give up control of this situation. God, will You please take over and lead us on the right path to the parking lot? We surrender to Your love. With gratitude and with peace, we will follow Your directions. Amen.”
There were three paths in our view, one along the creek northward, one on the creek southward, and one in the middle leading away from the creek. I felt God was telling us to leave the creek behind. This was a big surprise since we were so convinced the creek would lead us back to the parking lot. I told Kristine I wasn’t sure about this new path but felt we were being asked to have faith that God would help us. Kristine followed in silence. We were now going away from the creek, the creek no longer guiding us. In about 10 minutes, we reached the top of a hill, and what we saw on the other side astonished us both. Another trail intersected and looked entirely familiar to us. And there was another creek! There were two creeks, and we had been following the wrong one. We were overjoyed to find the creek that would lead us home. Our steps quickened. We smiled and laughed. When the parking lot came into view, I said, “You realize we wouldn’t be here right now without God’s help. I do believe God answers every prayer, and He came through for us today.”
Kristine looked heavenward. “I am not always right about everything. But You are. Thank You God, for this lesson in letting go.”
Now, a couple of years since our hike along the creek, Kristine and I both still slip into our controlling ways from time to time. But when we do, we are reminded of our Hidden Falls lesson. God is the better hiker. We follow His lead.
You have very little trust in me as yet, but it will increase as you turn more and more often to me instead of to your ego for guidance. The results will convince you increasingly that your choice in turning to me is the only sane one you can make. [CE T-4.VIII.10:1-2]
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