FOUND, TO FIND; HEALED TO HEAL

September 26, 2024

THE OLDER I GET,

THE MORE I REGRET

ALL THE PEOPLE I’VE LOST

OVER THE YEARS.

(Maybe being a trail guide wasn’t such a great idea, after all…)

***Thanks, Mark Manderson, for drawing my attention to this internet meme. Hilarious. And, yes, I have often guided people on treks – but I have actually lost very few of them.  🙂

Being lost in the woods – or, to quote Daniel Boone “bewildered for three days…” – is no fun. And I will admit to having been bewildered out in the woods. But, if you are lost, there’s nothing better than the moment of being found.

No matter how often I’ve heard it or in whatever style it is presented, John Newton’s hymn, AMAZING GRACE, never ceases to stir me. I was very lost and was graciously and wonderfully found.

When I was a teenager, I was lost and alienated from God. His amazing grace found me. He gave me the gift of eternal life when I believed in Jesus.

Along the way and through the years, I have not walked with Jesus perfectly. I have walked on crooked paths and stepped off of the Jesus-following trail more times than I’d care to admit.

None of these missteps could have ever separated me from Jesus or jeopardized my eternal destiny.

But when I have stepped away from obedience to Jesus, it was as if I had thrown away my map and compass and trudged into a spiritual lostness. During those seasons, I have put a limiter on my spiritual impact.

Considering the physical world of hiking, again, I’ve also had long seasons when physical weaknesses have kept me off of the trails altogether. A few years ago, my knees were both wrecks, making it painful to walk around the neighborhood, much less go on long hikes.

In my time with the Bible yesterday, my reading took me to the letter to the Hebrews where the author addressed both problems that I’ve just mentioned: going in wrong directions AND suffering from joints and limbs that don’t cooperate.

[Hebrews 12:12] Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, [13] and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is impaired may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

Obviously, these words aren’t about hiking. The author was writing about Christians who struggled to “walk” with Jesus.

When I have been “bewildered” on hiking trails, rescue has come in the form of a study session with map and compass or a helpful fellow hiker who points the way I need to go.

I am so grateful to God that when I have strayed off the path of spiritual health and vitality, brothers and sisters in Jesus have come to my aid. They have pointed me back to the Jesus path. They have used the map and compass of Scripture, strong words, prayers, and their own godly example to redirect me into good “next steps.”

I’m also grateful to God for the surgeon who gave me two knee replacements in 2022, PLUS a skilled rehab therapist who helped immediately after surgery, PLUS the counsel of good friends who have recommended exercises that have allowed me to get back on the trail and hike.

Those people bring to mind fellow Christians who have participated in my personal healing and recovery when I have been weak or wounded.

A long time ago, when I was new to the faith, I was surrounded by mature believers who helped me take my first steps with Jesus. In the years since, my friends in Jesus have helped me keep walking. That help continues to this day. I need what my Christian family provides if I’m going to lead a life that honors Jesus.

I’m sure that there are dozens of takeaways from Hebrews 12:12-13. Here are two that hit home for me. Maybe they will for you, too.

(1) I am to be self-aware and reflective enough to realize if my feet are pointed in a wrong direction AND if I am weak and in need of some particular healing and recovery. If so, I must reach out to someone I know at church for help. Today.

(2) I am to be loving enough to notice if a brother or a sister in Jesus is “bewildered” or weak and weary. If I see someone in that state, I must take a next step to help that “bewildered” Christian get back on the right path, to help them take their own next step. Today.

Yours…His,

Dave