In his book, Just Courage, Gary Haugen recalled a time as a little boy of ten. He and his dad and two older brothers had decided to hike Mount Rainier outside Seattle. But once they got to the visitor’s center, little Haugen didn’t want to go on. “Dad assured me I could make it, that he would help me and that the view and triumph would be more than worth the effort—and that it would be marvelous to do together.” But Gary told his dad he’d rather stay at the visitor’s center.
His dad and brothers finally went on without him. At first, he was pleased with his decision. “The visitor's center was warm and comfortable…. I explored every corner, and judging by the crowd, it was clearly the place to be.” But as the day dragged on, things got dull. “The inspiring loop videos about extraordinary people who climbed the mountain weren't as interesting the sixth and seventh times, and they made me wish I could be one of those actually climbing the mountain instead of reading about it. I felt bored, sleepy, and small—and I missed my dad.”
Finally, his family returned, and he noticed something about his brothers. “Their faces were red from the cold and their eyes clear with delight. They were wet from the snow, famished, dehydrated and nursing scrapes from the rocks and ice, but on the long drive home they had something else. They had stories of an unforgettable day with their dad on a great mountain.”
Haugen told of his childhood memory to make a point: “It is my sense that many Christians are starting to suspect that they are stuck at the visitor’s center.” But it doesn’t have to be that way. “In different times and in different ways, our heavenly Father offers us a simple proposition: Follow me beyond what you can control, beyond where your strength and competencies can take you, and beyond what is affirmed or risked by the crowd—and you will experience me and my power and my wisdom and my love.”
What a beautiful image! Is God beckoning you to join him on an adventure? Don’t miss out!
--Tom
Sign up here to receive Tom Goodman’s weekly devotional in your email inbox. Tom serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter.