Faith Unfolding: A Lighter Journey

A couple of years ago I went to Las Vegas for a conference for work. It’s one of the perks that I love about my job; getting to go places and see things that I wouldn’t ordinarily get to see. (Yes, that includes the conferences and the actual speakers and information.) I had never been to Vegas before, or anywhere beyond the east coast for that matter – at that time. While I can’t say that Vegas wasn’t on any list of places that I wanted to go, I was excited about finding something new on the trip.

Our hotel and the conference were both deep in the heart of the city. The first day gave us a good pocket of time before the events kicked off, I searched for non-Vegas attractions. -Things to do 'outside' of where I would be staying over the next few days.

Immediately, I found it. Red Rock Canyon.

My co-worker and I are more of the outdoorsy types anyway, so we slipped away for a 'quick' hike. That is if there is such a thing...

The park was 40 minutes away from our hotel. But we had a fun Uber driver that liked people (which is surprisingly not the case with all drivers). And she was even kind enough to wait the 1-2 hours Paula and I wandered around the trail. (This is a good thing to note. Because cell coverage isn’t so hot there. The odds of getting an Uber or Taxi on the way back would have been a lot more difficult. Especially in a time crunch.) I took her picture too but in the two years since it looks like I’ve only retained the ones you see here in this post. I’m thankful for these none-the-less.

Anyway, it was so beautiful there. I mean yes, it’s all rocks, dirt, and plants, but it looks different than what you see here, in Virginia. There were desert-y and cactus-y flowers. Even some that looked like mini cotton plants. And contrary to our hiking in the mountains of Virginia, this place was mostly flattish plains against the mountains. For every mound above the ground, you could see the different types of sediment layers in the rocks. But what surprised me the most was that during the hike, you walked closer to the mountains and then farther away from them. There were very few hills to climb and no trees to obstruct the view. And the mountain was always right in front of you. At least in this particular park.

It was one of those beautiful days too where the sky seems like that perfect bright blue backdrop to super white clouds. And it felt kind of like being in a time-lapse video, or something that you would see on T.V. because when the clouds rolled over, you could feel their shadow and see it, coming in, and going out over the ground, the whole way that it traveled. I guess another perk to ‘flat’ land.

There was so much to take in and so many details to notice.

Oddly enough one of the things that stuck out from the trip is that a doggie bag was left by another hiker on the trail. I was a little annoyed that someone took the time to bag it and then leave it. What was the point? I thought to myself as I continued hiking.

I didn't even realize that mini conversation with myself 'stuck' with me but it did. That question would later lead to an incredible catchphrase for some of my own thoughts that I needed to clean up.

You see about a week before coming to Vegas we adopted a cheetah disguised as a long-haired German shepherd. She was only 3 but still FULL of puppy energy. When I returned from my trip, I started taking her on my morning runs. I had never really run with a dog before. At least not on a leash. Sure, I had other dogs but running with them was different. By the time that I started becoming more active and running intentionally, all of my dogs were older and had health problems, so sadly, they couldn’t go along. Running Cleo was going to be part of the morning routine. Although, I am not really sure who runs who. She is so fast that for the first few months, I had to ride a bike just so I could keep up with her and it felt every bit like the death ride that it sounds. –At least when we were taking off.

Anyway, so, we all know that proper etiquette is picking up behind your dog. But on this side of things carrying a bouncy bag of poo is every bit as unappealing as it sounds. And to make it less bouncy, holding the bulky part makes you more aware of the heat and texture. It’s not exactly something that you want to put in your pocket either. So, I find that many times, whenever I can help it, I bag it so that I can find it more easily. Then I leave the bag on the side of the road until my way back so that I can carry it the least amount of time possible. It wasn’t until that first opportunity to experience this that I suddenly remembered being on the trail in Vegas and at the exact same time the phrase “Never judge a man until you walk a mile in their shoes.” Literally!

I gained understanding.

It is very likely that the person on the trail left the bag with every intention of picking it up on the way back. –And they could have lost their way, forgot, or just have not passed back through yet. Who knows?! But at that moment, it was such an-aha. “Next time you think something is crappy, ask yourself if it’s your judgment.”

I softened.

I know it sounds so cliché but that catchphrase was one that has stuck. It has caught me time and again in little ways that I didn’t realize that my judgment was along for the ride. You know like when your child, or spouse, or stranger does something to irritate you. Check your response. How many times do you judge the behavior because you know what you would have done or what you expected? When you slip up and do something a little less wonderfully than you meant to, or make a mistake yourself, how much do you berate yourself for something you ‘should have done’ or ‘should have known’.

You may not have thought of that one. –But we definitely judge ourselves.

What’s funny is I don’t think most of us want to judge. I try really hard not too and try to see the best in everyone and everything. But I do still drop the ball. There are definitely appalling encounters and we also need discernment. A healthy dose of judgment is needed there. But for the most part, we’re also accustomed to our own environments, our beliefs, and ideas, what we know to be true for ourselves, and our ways- a limited perspective. Our thoughts fly out in nano-seconds and they’re often out of the gate before we recognize them for what they are. More often, we’re only left with their weight and burden. Then trying to analyze or understand what is making us so heavy.

The truth is we’re all on this journey through life and trying to make sense of it. At times, we even lose our way. But we’re all also still learning. The judgments that we can carry about anyone or anything, including ourselves, can often be much more detrimental to our spiritual health, than any excrement on the outside. And if insight and understanding was the solution to end it, then perhaps, when we find ourselves at that crossroads, or even feeling weighed down, it’s a prompt to ask a question. Hopefully, that catchphrase will catch you. Then you can go deeper and ask other questions, even if it's only ‘what can I learn from this moment?” So that you can gain your own understanding.

Proverbs 4:7 even tells us that ‘It may cost you all that you have but get understanding’.

Because it is that important.

It is worth asking the question(s).

You may look crazy or sound crazy in the process but the right answer will help you put the heavier things down. Then you’re more freed up to celebrate the journey.