Dear friends and family,
This weekend, we had the great opportunity to hike the Choro, an Inca trail that descends from the peaks of the Andes down to the cloud-forest Yungas. We started with a friend from language school (and a Canadian stranger who quickly became a friend) at the mountain pass, 16,300 ft high. Over the next two and a half days, we wandered down 12,000 ft through quiet, isolated valleys, along growing streams, and past small pueblos of farming families.
I can’t help but think how fitting the 23rd psalm is to the spiritual rest and calm we were able to experience. This psalm is often quoted, and the analogies between trekking and life-wisdom are perhaps a little trite. But like a good song or a timeless piece of art, they are worth turning to again and again.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. We passed many sheep, llamas, and ducks on our journey. Without the old wisdom of the farming communities, these animals would perish. Yet their needs are relatively simple – food, water, and shelter. When backpacking, we are reduced to the same. Every clear stream, every bush of wild berries, every flat, sheltered campsite is savored. We forget about slow internet, cramped buses, and the many inconveniences of our modern, convenient lives. We lack nothing. We are blessed to even be alive.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. Rest. Paradoxically, while our bodies were being put to a grueling test, our entire selves felt refreshed and renewed. We literally laid down in green pastures beside quiet waters. We were given the gift of Sabbath that God desperately wants to give a restless, frantic, and insecure world.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. There was not even a single dirt road along the entire 35 mile trail, but there were alternative footpaths that led away. It was crucial that we followed the right path. We were well-stocked with maps and advice from those who had traveled the road before us; none of us had walked it before. Call it purpose, direction, or providence, we want to make the best of our time on this beautiful planet (though we will have all eternity to trek) and not spend years fighting through brambles and walking in circles. As C.S. Lewis describes in the last book of The Chronicles of Narnia, we want to keep going “further up and further in.”
This Christmas, we pray that you too will find some little corner of God’s creation to rest, even if the pasture has turned brown and the stream is frozen over. Breathe deep and know that you are God’s beloved. Know that you have nothing to prove, nothing to defend. Receive the gift of Christ’s shalom once again.
Prayer Need:*We are Christmas caroling in the brothels the evening of Dec. 23. An annual tradition!
Peace be with you,- Adam (and Becky) Thada