American Adventure

Are we willing to be moulded and shaped and changed by the Wind of the Spirit, are we willing to be honed, sharpened and made into what God would have us be by drinking deeply of His Word?

In September 2019 myself and my husband Dave set off on a five week adventure visiting several American National Parks. Little did we realise that not only would this be an exciting, exhilarating experience but also a complete reinforcement of the ‘Spiritual journey’ too. We learnt from the wildlife we encountered, from the flora and fauna we admired and also from the natural forces of nature, the forces of wind and water erosion.

From the wildlife…we captured on camera a chipmunk busy foraging for seeds, prickly cactus fruits and then hiding its hoard in preparation for winter. 
On the other hand, we encountered a rather plump ground squirrel who came almost begging for food. Signs were visible everywhere warning people not to feed the wildlife. We later learned the reason why. Tourists were killing with their kindness! The small animals fattened up with crisps and other titbits of human food, were absorbing the wrong kinds of fats which would not sustain them through the hibernation period and many consequently perish in the depths of winter. They run out of the naturally stored energy much sooner than their counterparts.

This made us wonder, do we feed off Spiritual scraps and titbits that others throw our way, or do we forage more deeply, searching sustaining ‘food’, for ourselves, so when the tough times come, as surely they will, we too will have something in reserve, just like the hard working chipmunk? 

Hebrews 5: 13-14
“Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

Even though we were in the desert areas for most of our trip, we were pleasantly surprised by the diversity of the flora and fauna.  Some plants were literally clinging to the bare rocks in a death-defying way. One tree we photographed was actually standing proud of the rocks with the roots clearly visible above ground level. We saw flowers such as aquilegia, Michaelmas daisies, golden rod and sunflowers growing in profusion, giving us a riot of blazing colour – how have they managed to flourish in such a harsh landscape? The answer is by adaptation. They grow in miniature to conserve energy, but are still true to their form.

This made us question ourselves.  Have we grown soft or are we capable and willing to cling to our true selves even when circumstances seem harsh? Do we dig deeper and adapt or do we give up and shrivel away?

Luke 8:14-15
The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

We also learnt a huge lesson from the tree management we observed in various parks. For years the Park Rangers immediately rushed out to douse any bush fires but latterly it has been discovered that once every 20 years or so, a good scorching clears out weaker and diseased shrubs, bushes and spindly trees and allows for new growth and rejuvenation. Indeed, the bark toughens up and protects the softer interior. The toughened bark also helps protect from severe drought. The Rangers gather up all the dead debris, place it in heaps and have controlled fires to get rid of it.

Once again, we turned to the Lord and asked, “What are You teaching us here Lord?”  We are reminded to regularly look through our daily lives, what is there that we need to sort, clear out, banish? It is the getting rid of this sin on a regular basis, that allows us, just like the trees, to grow stronger and to flourish.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Finally, we came to good old-fashioned lumps of rock and we saw plenty of that! But here again we were amazed by the variety of colours, shapes and sizes. The effects of erosion, wind and rain, has chiseled, dissolved, washed away and exposed lower layers. It has shaped and moulded in a way that creates even greater diversity, beauty and left us awestruck.

A huge crevice of hundreds of miles, the Grand Canyon, has been shaped by one river, the Colorado. What struck us also was that with each season the scenery changes everything little by little. Are we willing to be moulded and shaped and changed by the Wind of the Spirit, are we willing to be honed, sharpened and made into what God would have us be by drinking deeply of His Word?

1 Corinthians 2:5
So that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

These five weeks have shown us afresh and made us appreciate God’s wonderful, diverse creation and we pray for His Spirit and His unchanging Word to deepen our dependence on Him and to daily thank Him for the wonders He performs. We further pray that we would be willing to allow Him to change us season by season, to indeed seek for Him to shape us and to adapt to His intended purposes for our lives. Remember our burdens can make us stronger and develop qualities in us that will prepare us for the future but only if we are willing to allow our awesome God to do His will in our lives.  Make us willing Lord Jesus to go Your way not ours! 

So, to sum up:

Seek God with all your heart, seek solid food, don’t be content with milk.

Dig deep, adapt, don’t give up but persevere.

Get rid of all that hinders us in our lives, confess, receive forgiveness and be purified by our God.

Finally, be willing to be shaped and moulded, go God’s Way not our own way.

Author: Linda Allitt

May God bless and enrich your life

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