Trailblazer

I have explored both the Arctic and Antarctic, sailed around the world, hacked my way through the Amazon jungle, ventured into hidden valleys out west, and hiked the whole Appalachian Trail. All of these I have done at night lying in my bed—vicariously--reading of others’ adventures. I enjoy taking short hikes in real time. But, I really enjoy reading the stories of through hikers of the Appalachian Trail and ones challenging like it. I get to hike those trails and never get my boots and socks wet, a tick bite, or an infected toe. I never get lost, hungry, thirsty, or have to try to sleep on hard ground. Currently, I am reading the account of one who hiked our very own Buckeye Trail. The Buckeye is a 1,444 mile long circuitous trail with smaller in-route loops that roughly follows the inside perimeter of the state of Ohio. The account I’m reading is Daytonian Andy Niekamp’s. As I read the record and reflections he recounted of the rigors of the trail, I found myself constantly reminded of this Way we believers travel through this world towards heaven. There were just so many parallels; I wish I had space to share some of them. As I near the end of the book and the end of Andy’s hike, there is one thing he has often noted that has somehow deeply impressed me: Evidently, one of the worst things to encounter on a through hike, even worse than rain, cold and hot temperatures, steep inclines, mud, flooded paths, and relentless hot sun, is an unmarked and un-maintained trail. It appeared to me from his journal, that there was nothing more tiring, discouraging, and unpleasant as trying to hike a trail one continually keeps losing due to absence of markers or one that is continually blocked with fallen trees, wash-outs, chest-high weeds, etc. Unmarked, un-maintained trail—the discouragement of the hiker. There were times Andy seriously contemplated quitting. The Buckeye is marked by blue blazes. Early pioneers that carved a path into Ohio and other frontiers during the years of western expansion were said to have “blazed a trail.” To blaze a trail was to locate, clear, and mark a trail for others to follow. The way a trail was marked often was by one with an ax notching trees along the edges of the path. A notch on a tree cut away the darker bark and left much lighter wood shining almost white. For Andy, often the blue blazes, the trail markers attached to trees, could not be seen. They were hidden by weeds, faded, or had fallen off. Reading of his struggle with an unmarked trail, I could not help thinking of the trail of faith we are traveling. This Scripture kept coming to mind: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”(Heb 12:2). Author and Finisher! Although the context is the imagery of a race and “Author” has the idea of Beginner, Leader, etc., and “Finisher,” has the idea of Completer, Perfecter, it is not hard to see Jesus as the Pioneer of our faith, our trail. He went before to blaze the trail for us to follow. Not only did He blaze the trail, He perfects it. Not only can we be assured that our trail reaches all the way home, we can know that He will keep it opened, maintained. However tough it gets, He has made it so we can keep on going, and so we can get to its end. Really, the only thing required of us is to walk this way. After noting how discouraging an unmarked, un-maintained trail was, Andy later noted the joy of walking an unblocked, clearly marked trail. I know, spiritually speaking, there is inclement weather, muddy bogs, steep inclines, attacking mosquitoes on this trail we walk. Yet, we can know the joy of walking a way that has been clearly marked, that will never be so blocked we cannot proceed, and that will, if traveled, get us all the way home. We can thank the Author and the Finisher of our faith, our Trailblazer, for that.

Trailblazer

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