Who Is Leading You?

The plan was pretty simple: Pack our lunches and beverages into our pack backs and head up into the Big Horn Mountains. The year was 1980 and I was in Ten Sleep, Wyoming with two vans loads of youth workers on Christmas break.

 

A group of us had decided to make a day trip up one side of the mountain, eat lunch at the top, and head back to the lodge before dinner. Several in the group had never been mountain climbing and so we appreciated the seasoned veterans that went with us that morning.

 

The hike up the mountain was a comfortable pace and the view was breath taking! In fact the weather was unseasonably warm, so the snow-covered paths were easy to walk through. This was especially important because several of the fellow travelers seemed to like to walk slow…as though there was no urgency to get anywhere at any special time. They acted as though the idea of walking and talking (fellowshipping) was more important than getting to the top by noon.

 

Actually, it wasn’t necessary to reach the top by noon; we could have simply stopped at noon wherever we were and had lunch, and then headed back to the lodge.

 

But their slow pace made me appreciate the clear paths because I wouldn’t have wanted to travel with them through snow drifts.

 

In time, and much prodding to hurry up and keep moving, we all made it to the top where we had a leisurely lunch and then started the descent back down the mountain.

 

My friend Jim and I realized that if the rest of the group traveled at the same pace down as they had gone up, we would have to once again wait. So, we made plans to descend using another path; one that neither of us had taken before since neither of us had been in these mountains before.

 

We talked Cathy (who I was engaged to at the time) and two other girls into joining us in our adventure to seek a faster way down the mountain. And we must have been pretty convincing that we knew what we were talking about because they agreed to our plan; against the advice of the seasoned veterans who went with us that morning, who asked us to stay with the rest of the group.

 

With joy and determination, Jim and I led the three women off to the lodge not realizing how quickly things can change up on a mountain.

 

At first, our trip was great as we were able to set a pace that we (at least Jim and I) could travel at with not hindrances. Like two gazelles we leaped from rock to rock as we searched for the next place to land on. I’m sure that in our minds we both thought that we were making quite an impression on these three young lasses!

 

For a few hours, all went well that is until we got ourselves into a spot that even the best of mountain climbers would have had some fear. We got stuck literally between a rock and a hard place; a “chimney”

 

(A rock cleft with vertical sides mostly parallel, large enough to fit the climber's body into. To climb such a structure, the climber often uses his head, back and feet to apply opposite pressure on the vertical walls)

 

The rock chimney led to a thousand foot drop; give or take a couple of feet. We realized very quickly that perhaps we should have listened and stayed with the group. In fact we really had only two options: turn around and retrace our steps, or rappel down the face of the mountain…but this wasn’t really an option since we didn’t have any ropes or carabineers or experience using them!

 

Instead, we went with option number three which was to take off our boots and walk stocking footed through the snow covered rocks in order to get better footing. And, somehow we talked the girls into following our risky plan; a plan that was dangerous to say the least.

 

Eventually, we did make it down the mountain with boots tied around our necks and we were joined by the rest of the group and were quickly rebuked by the seasoned veterans at the stupidity of what we had just done. Not only had we risked our lives, but we had also endangered the lives of three girls as well.

 

And all of this could have been avoided if we had simply followed instructions, stayed with the group, and let others who knew these mountains better than we did lead us in the right path.

 

I wonder how many times each of us could have avoided getting into trouble if we would have simply allowed the Lord to lead us?

 

How many times have we gotten ourselves stuck between a rock and a hard place simply because we didn’t “be still and know that He is God” (Psalm 46:10)?

 

How many times did we take unnecessary risks instead of swallowing our pride, admitting we didn’t know what we were doing, and let Him lead us?

 

“For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me.” (Psalm 31:3)

 

“Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.” (Psalm 25:5)

 

“…when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13)

 

“From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” (Psalm 61:2)

 

So who is leading you?

 

All Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.