"We must trust, though we seem alone, there are others walking with us."

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Friday, December 10, 2010

Day 338: Carrying around the old tent

Today's Reading: 2 Corinthians 5-9

Here's the truth.

Many people think backpacking is a glamourous task, but for me in my experience, it is sheer misery. I like to brag, "Ah yes, I backpacked through the mountains of Colorado," which I did, but honestly, because of my lack of physical fitness, even at the age of 23, I was winded the entire way. The pack was heavy and burdensome and I just wanted to throw it off and enjoy the hike.

Tents and everything needed to survive in the wild are heavy. I think my pack weighed about 60 pounds when my friends and I hit the oxygen thinned air of the mountains. My face got red and my lungs heaved. I wanted rest and I wanted it now.

And once in camp with tent set up, the wind and rain came; the rocky ground wreaked havoc to my night's sleep. Though the scenery and the comradery were spectacular, tent living was not my ideal.

As I get older, my earthly tent, this body of mine, becomes more and more burdensome. The skin sags, the joints and muscles weaken, the eyes dim, the mind slows, the teeth require more attention. Inside of me, I still feel young. In fact, the older I get, the more renewed and wise I feel. The more in love with God I become. The more understanding of myself and others I am. I feel gentler, more focused and more "me."

But the old tent canvas is getting worn and despite the patches, some of the zippers catch and some of the spikes are missing.

I praise God that when this journey is done, I will be able to come home to the warm shower of God's love and sink into the incredible sheets of rest; there will be a banquet of non-dehydrated food awaiting me and all the comforts of home I've yet to even imagine.

1 comment:

  1. Uh-huh. Talk about the ultimate snuggling in. Thank you for sharing in this manner. Love and blessings, Jennifer

    ReplyDelete