If you have ever spent time in the BWCA or on other hiking trails you may be familiar with rock cairns. A rock cairn is simply a pile of rocks. In places like the Boundary Waters they are used to mark a trail. There is a portage in the Boundary Waters that connects Seagull lake and Paulson lake. At times this portage crosses some large rocks. Without the rock cairns left by others, my campers and I surely would have lost our way. These cairns point you in the right direction and ensure a safe passage to the next lake.
In Genesis we read about God testing Abraham. An altar is built in preparation for the sacrifice of his son Isaac. As we all know, an angel appeared telling Abraham not to lay a hand on the boy. Abraham sacrifices a ram instead and recognizes that that is a place where the Lord provides. That place became a sacred place and when I think of the altar that Abraham built I imagine a rock cairn.
Last year I went through Strength Finders for the second time. Both times one of my signature strengths was titled futuristic. I am energized by the possibility of the future for myself and for those around me. I love to dream about what is to come and make goals for the coming years. At times, this strength can also be a great weakness. It can be easy for me to get caught in the future. I am always working towards balancing my excitement about the future with a joy for the present. I am extremely thankful for this opportunity to live and learn in Swaziland for four months but I often find myself getting a little too antsy about what is next. These past few weeks I have had to put a significant amount of thought towards being present. The combination of homesickness and an uncertainty about summer and fall plans have made this difficult.
This week Bailey and I spent some time the Mkhombokati care point doing interviews with the cooks who participate in Timbali. Nearby a small group of children were playing, stacking rocks on top of each other. To them it may have just been a pile of rocks, but to me this was a beautiful rock cairn, an altar. I believe that there is never one path that God intends us to take. Sure, we may be called to do some specific things but in general I think that, because of our free will, we can go anywhere and do anything with our lives. What’s important is that along the way we praise and serve God with all of our heart. Upon seeing this rock cairn I was reminded that I am on the right path. I am not saying that at that moment God wanted me to be at Mkombokati, or in Swaziland, or even in Africa. Rather, this rock cairn showed me is that I am on the right path in terms of how I am living my life. This stack of rocks reminded me that God is with me and that God will provide. This is the encouragement that I needed to be present here. Today, I am in Swaziland. I am serving God. This is what I God has intended for my life. I am on the right path.
And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it.” -Isaiah 30:21
This is great. Thanks for sharing!
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