“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).
Have you ever thought you made a wrong turn at some point in your life? Have you ever gotten distracted and just lost your way? Have you lost confidence in knowing where you are going? Have you ever thought you needed to backtrack so you could find your way again? These are questions which came to me after a recent hike on a scenic portion of the Pinhoti Trail on Mount Cheaha and Duggar Mountain in Alabama.
It had been a beautiful day in the mid-60s. After many weeks of cold weather and even several days of snow, this was a welcomed weather-change. I was beaconed by the beauty of this new untried trail. I invited my son, Grant, to go with me, but he had unfinished homework from an art class. So, this was to be a solo hike – just me and God.
I had hiked a couple of trails on Cheaha Mountain before, but I had never hiked on the Pinhoti Trail, which connects to the Appalachian Trail. I had heard this was a good trail. It was only about an hour away from my home in west Georgia, so I thought this would be a good hike on a Sunday afternoon. I needed a new adventure; a time of worship in the wilderness; a time of one-on-One with my Maker; a time of silence, solitude, and seductive scenery. A new trail would entail new unknowns, and one of the best ways I have found to get to know God better is to experience new “unknowns.”
Out of the gray days of winter the green of new life was sneaking into the picture. Ansel Adams- like portraits of these mountains, these cathedrals of creation, were slowly but surely being colorized.
I found the trail to be well-marked with blue blazes fairly frequently, along with an occasional white Pinhoti Trial metal diamond about every half-mile or so. The Pinhoti Trail markers have a distinctive turkey foot on them. “Pinhoti” comes from the Creek Indian word meaning “turkey home.”
There were several scenic overlooks along the trail which ran along the ridges of the mountains. I took some photos of a couple of pine trees which seemed to be growing out of the rocks. I even happened up on the wreckage of a small plane (which I later learned was the plane crash which took place in 1998 involving the family of a fellow church member).
It was a good hike. It energized me. And as the sun started to set I picked up the pace to get back to the trailhead. As I walked along, I notice that the sun setting resulted in a long shadow being cast. It was a reminder that our days on this earth are limited, and as we near the end of our days we cast a long shadow.
I paused briefly at one of the last overlooks before the trailhead. I took one last look at the lake far below. I then started down the trial. However, as I went about 100 yards down the trail I noticed that I did not see any of the blue blazes on the trees. I hesitated, looked around, and decided I had better backtrack to the overlook. It was almost dark and I did not want to pull out my headlamp to finish my hike on an unfamiliar trail.
After arriving back at the overlook, I once again saw the blue blazes on the trees. I had taken a side-trail and the Pinhoti actually descended down the other side of the mountain. I had made a wrong turn. It would have taken me someplace I did not intend to go. I had gotten distracted at the overlook and took a trail which looked like the right one, but it did not have the right markers on it.
There are markers in our lives. God has a path of life for each of us. It is a path which will energize us. It is a path which will cause us to live life fully. It will make us come alive. It is a path which will give us joy. “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11).
The literal translation of one of the most frequently used Greek words for “sin” is to miss the mark. I made a wrong turn on the trail and “missed the mark.” One of the Hebrew words translated “sin” means to wander or go astray. And the Hebrew word for “repent” means to turn around and go the other direction. If you are missing those markers in your life, perhaps it is time to backtrack and go back to the place you last saw those markers. Maybe you took a wrong turn and have gone down a side-trail. If you’re wandering, it’s not too late to get back on the right path. But first we must acknowledge that we may not be where we’re supposed to be.
There is an old Navajo saying, “If we don’t turn around now, we just may get where we’re going.” Turn around…you don’t want to go there. Get back on the right path. And when you get back on the right path – you will know.
