One of the first stops my wife and I made on our recent vacation was to see Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. It sits along the east end of Lake Michigan's southern shore. We stopped at the Visitor Center first to get some information. That's where we first heard about The Three Dune Challenge! Dun-dun-DUN!!
Naturally, being both stupid AND naive, I suggested we accept the challenge. Have you ever tried walking up a sand dune? The Three Dune Challenge . . . DUN-dun-DUN! . . . is one of the reasons I came back from our vacation weighing three pounds less than before we left. Each step forward is followed closely by one slide back. Slow going.
Near the end of our hike we got a little lost. The trail marker was different than what we were expecting. Bev wanted to walk back up the five billion steps we had just come down. I wanted to go cross country to the trail I could CLEARLY see just a few hundred yards through the woods. So, we each went our separate ways.
Well, the "trail" I saw was merely and sand slide in the middle of the woods. I struggled mightily, my heart pounding in my chest, as I tried walking up an unmarked sandy, thorn-filled hill, steeper and harder than the steps my wife was taking. But I made it.
Later on that evening, as I was changing out of my travel clothes, I discovered three deer ticks, one on my leg and one on each arm, fully-embedded. Great. Deer ticks carry Lyme Disease. Great.
There is a moral to this story. As you might have guessed by the opening Bible verse, we get into trouble when we stray too far from the path God has set before us. God's Word is "a light unto our path" and I wasn't reading my Bible very much on our trip.
It is also a reminder that God will discipline His children. The Bible is filled with examples.
My encounter with the ticks and straying off "the path" taught me a lesson we ALL can use as we try walking through the world in which we live.
STAY ON THE PATH!!
Pray as we encounter life's obstacles and challenges. Persevere through the storms and struggles we face and, with God's help, we can prevail.
"In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:6
Thy Word - Michael W. Smith & Amy Grant
Bob, we love that you tried the 3 Dune Challenge! But we are sorry about the deer tick experience; however, great the way you found such personal meaning in it all. This was a nice read to start the morning with! :)
ReplyDelete-Brooke at Indiana Dunes Tourism
It's also a good lesson to STAY ON THE PATH!! Thank you for your comment Brooke. It made my day. :)
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